


The Okami’s Mate

by jarethsdragon



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dubious Consent, F/M, Knotting, Okami Hanzo Shimada, Werewolf Jesse McCree
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 21:44:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17774747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jarethsdragon/pseuds/jarethsdragon
Summary: You timidly crossed into the Wolf Valley, stomping in the snow.  The moon hung in the icy sky, making everything sparkle eerily.  Everyone in the tiny village you passed through had warned you about going to the valley, but you felt you had no choice.You didn’t remember where you had first encountered the legend of the valley, but you could remember what convinced you to try such a mad thing.  You had dreamed of walking with a tall blonde woman in a flowing gold dress with a taller, pale man in creamy white on the other as they pointed you towards the road to the valley. The villagers had been very specific about the directions and everyone told you the same thing—to avoid the tiny valley at all costs.  It was supposed to be haunted according to the rail thin barkeeper and the local priest said was sacred.Both of them told you that you should stay away from it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iLoveHanzoMoreThanSleep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iLoveHanzoMoreThanSleep/gifts).



> Sorry—I wanted this for your birthday. But here it is...belated.

You timidly crossed into the Wolf Valley, stomping in the snow. The moon hung in the icy sky, making everything sparkle eerily. Everyone in the tiny village you passed through had warned you about going to the valley, but you felt you had no choice.

So now you were stomping through the snow with the last of your whole clothes wrapped around you. The few extra rags you had were either wrapped around your frozen hands or were stuffed around your icy feet under your ragged shoes. Every step made your teeth clench in the cold and your feet ached with each step.

You didn’t remember where you had first encountered the legend of the valley, but you could remember what convinced you to try such a mad thing. You had dreamed of walking with a tall blonde woman in a flowing gold dress with a taller, pale man in creamy white on the other as they pointed you towards the road to the valley. The villagers had been very specific about the directions and everyone told you the same thing—to avoid the tiny valley at all costs. It was supposed to be haunted according to the rail thin barkeeper and the local priest said was sacred.

Both of them told you that you should stay away from it.

It was a hard place to find, too—little more than a narrow crag between two steep juts of rock in the mountains of Hokkaido. There was supposed to be an abandoned temple of some kind deep in the tiny, snow choked valley. According to the stories, you climbed through the craggy hole, walked until you went under the charred black torii gate and along the path and then you would find the great iron bell and whatever was left of the temple. If you were desperate enough to get that far, then you could leave your offerings—a plate of food, a small piece of paper with your desire written on it, and a carved wolf—near the bell and when you rang the bell, you would find out whether the o-kami of the temple would grant you your wish.

Unfortunately, you had nothing like the typical offerings—rice cakes and moon cakes and oranges and bottles of sake and the like. You could barely afford the traditional carved wolf and that was only because you traded your thick hat for it. But this was your only shot to making things right.

Which said a lot about how desperate you were....

You shimmied through the snow-choked entrance. It was barely two feet wide and packed with fresh snow. But you clawed your way through, grinding your teeth at the shafts of cold caressing your frozen skin. There you stopped, your breath panting out in icy puffs as you stared at the gleaming, wide eyes staring back at your huddling form. Here at the mouth of the valley, everything was covered with...with shattered carvings of wolves.

You shuddered as you stared at the broken statues—open mouths with broken teeth, half heads with unblinking eyes buried under heavy brows of snow. Some of them were crudely carved true, but some were so intricate and realistic that you’d think that they were going to shake the snow from their fur at any moment. At least, you thought they had been beautiful at some point—but that day was long gone. Staring at the broken images, you trembled.

You warily crept through the frozen stares and snarls. There was nothing here for you here—all of the cracked and shattered wood was soaked through and frozen or rotting soft. And in any case, you had nothing to start a fire with in this deep snow. They were worthless to you.

You trudged on, your eyes wide at the continuing lines of carvings. The black torii gate was scarcely better—all of the charred wood frozen solid and creaking in the wind as though someone had tried to burn it down. The path was almost impossible to find in the snow and you lost it completely in the thicket of pine trees and scratchy skeletons of bushes. A completely frozen solid stream wandered through the overgrown trees, which made you wonder if perhaps this was—at one forgotten point—a carefully tended garden of some kind. Finally, you saw a break in the icy trees—a tiny clearing filled with the temple and its buildings. You might have missed it underneath the thick coat of snow if you hadn’t seen the ancient bell on its hanger. It was barely hanging on, too—one side drifting close to the top of the snow drift. But even here, you were surrounded by leering, shadowy wolves.

You picked an open space and set up your wolf on a stomped flat piece of snow. Too cold to shiver, you dug and shuffled through the snow until you found a rock and then threw it at the bell. It rang with trembling sides and snow dripped from the iron with wet slops. In the valley, the sound throbbed in the crisp air.

There was absolute silence in the tiny clearing. Not one of the staring wolves moved. It made you shiver again despite being beyond numb from the cold.

“Here I am,” you called out. Nothing moved in the slightest. “I-I-I need-d-d your h-h-help.”

Nothing again.

“I-I-I don’t have anything, b-b-but the villagers said you could help.” You were so cold that your tears felt scalding as they trailed over your snow covered face. “M-m-my father’s f-f-farm has been s-stolen.”

You let out a whine as your frozen limbs gave out. You landed with a whoosh of snow that littered little flakes of silver over your hair and face and form. Even when you looked at your own hands, you almost didn’t recognize them as they were wrapped up in rags and covered in ice. Your legs and arms were frozen into almost useless knobby things as you sobbed again as you were surrounded by staring wolves and impersonal drifts of snow.

You hadn’t noticed the huge, white figure—it was just another wolf shape among the hundreds or thousands here. But it dropped from the top of the tiny temple. With a rustle, it shook itself, sending icy crystals everywhere. At first, you thought it was some wild animal, but it was far too large to be a fox or a cat. Then it rose to stand even taller on its hid legs. With a few swift strides, it stood over you.

His face was stern, cool with golden almond shaped eyes. A stiff white beard peaked on his chin with a snowy thin line over his lips. His chest was huge and wide and his arms were as muscular as any exotic statue. His legs were like oak trunks and he wore thick leather pants that looked a thousand times better than what you had and his boots were whole and fur lined. He had some kind of shirt—you were vaguely sure of that—but that was all hidden by the huge, shaggy wolf skin that covered his head and down his arms and back with the head of the beast covering his and glaring down at you. He stretched slightly as he folded his arms over his chest.

“What do you want, usagi?” he asked with a low growl.

You huddled in the snow, your arms wrapping uselessly around you. Your breath puffed out in smoky clouds. Despite how much being called “rabbit” rankled your broken pride, even you had to admit that you were shaking and shivering.

“Your family’s farm has been stolen, usagi?”

His voice, despite the clipped tone, sounded warm in the frigid air. His eyes—those queer, yellow wolf’s eyes—shown like stars underneath the massive wolf head hood. The wolf’s head made you shake again as it stared down sightlessly.

“C-c-cold,” you stuttered helplessly.

One of the massive man’s hands went automatically to one of the knives at his waist. Your attention was frozen to the ice blue steel as it rang out of the sheath. He slowly pointed it at you. Your eyes followed it helplessly, even when the man crouched in the snow in front of you.

He brushed the snow away from your face and off your head. Even his gloves felt warmer than you felt and exhaustion seemed to seep through your muscles. You shook again, shuddering as he peered at you, brushing the snow and ice off of you.

His sudden intake of breath sounded loud in the wintery silence. “By...the...by all that is holy. It is...you.”

His face was almost right against yours when you looked at up it. Now that he was closer, you could see how sharp his features were, as well as his scowl. Slowly, he leaned even closer, grabbing your shoulder when you tried to lean back. If you hadn’t been all but frozen stiff, you would have flinched when you felt him...sniffing you.

“You smell...delicious,” he whispered as softly as smoke billowed from his nose. With a shove, you ended up tumbling to your back in the snow. Unconcerned, he leapt to cover you, his nose puffing as he crawled forward from your hips to your face. “You..smell just about perfect.”

“W-w-what?!” you whimpered.

“You made it—finally,” he whispered as he brushed you off. Your body felt heavy and you wove as he looked you over. You barely heard his tsking over your poor clothing. “But you are too cold.”

Without another word, he stood up and sheathed the knife. Then, in a muscular move he pulled you from the snow and over his broad shoulder. The furry pelt covering his back and shoulders was warm—far warmer than you were—and as he loped away from the bell, the snow drifted off of your jangling body.

“W-w-what are you d-d-doing?!” you demanded. He didn’t slow down at all. In fact, he loped a bit faster as he dodged the dilapidated buildings that surrounded the temple. “Where are you t-t-taking me?”

He still didn’t answer, only kept bounding along over narrow ridges and pathways up the mountainside. It was still cold and you could dizzily see a thickening around the moon as clouds were starting to move in. More snow was coming—you could practically feel it falling already. But at least...at least you were feeling so cold anymore. You were, in fact, feeling sleepy—very sleepy, as you were jostled over his shoulder like a sack of yams. Your eyes closed as you realized that the path was winding upwards, and then you saw and felt nothing else but pitch blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

You woke in a dream. You were cozy and warm and wrapped in a furry pelt from your neck to your knees. Another pelt was wrapped around your waist and ended below your feet. A dark, rough blanket covered the pelts, wrapping you in complete warmth. You could feel a mattress of some kind padding you against what appeared to be a dirt floor. A camp lantern made the rock floor glitter softy like a brilliant sun in the darkness.

You took in a shuddering breath and you were surprised at how warm and moist it felt filling your lungs. You blinked slowly, trying to figure out what was going on and where you were. Nothing looked familiar as you laid there, staring at the lantern.

You were pathetically weak, almost dizzy as you sat up. You huddled beneath the pelt—a soft and smooth hide of some large animal—and looked around. You were somewhere...underground? Yes, you were in a basement at best, and a cave at worst. There was a subtle glimmer above you that was not stars or rafters or roof. The air was warm and still and the memory of gathering snow seemed far away. There was a musty, earthy smell and you couldn’t find the slightest thing that was familiar in the small circle of light.

You looked around, listening for any small sound or any clue what might be happening. It was silent as only a cave could be. You were warm enough, but your throat was dry. You were desperate for water. Even eating snow seemed good to your parched body.

You stood up unsteadily, wrapping the soft skin around yourself. There was a small waft of frozen icy air, but no sound and no way to tell what to do next. The only thing you were sure of was the fact that your legs were loose and seemed unable to hold you up. You reached to pick up the lantern, but your balance deserted you and you tumbled with a moan.

The ground was as hard as it looked and it was dusty rock that you hit. Painfully, you tried to sit up again. There was thumping and a heavy growl approaching as you scrambled to grab the lantern to see the huge animal that was pounding towards you.

The mysterious man rounded a hidden corner and stepped into the tiny area to loom over you like a giant without a beanstalk. He grunted, crossing his arms, and stared down at you. He was still scowling, both his dark almond-shaped eyes and the golden wolf eyes glittering in what appeared to be fury.

“What are you doing out of bed?” His voice growled low in his chest. “You need to rest.”

Without waiting for you to answer, he scooped you up in his arms and then put you back on the pallet. Impatiently, he wrapped you up again, the doe skin around your torso and then the second one around your legs and feet. He tucked the skins tightly around your body, almost to the point you couldn’t move before wrapping the blanket over you again.

“Thirsty,” you whimpered hoarsely as he took the lantern from your fumbling fingers and set it aside again.

“Ahh,” was all he said before he pushed slightly on your shoulder until you laid down. Rising, he vanished around what was apparently a natural curve in the cave. Quite soon, he came back with a battered steel cup and an ancient iron kettle. He poured you a cup and put it into your hand. “Drink.”

The water was icy cold and quenched your thirst. He squatted down in front of you, watching you carefully with those glittering pairs of eyes. You lowered the cup nervously and stared back at him. He took the cup from you and just stared at you for a long time as you were frozen in place.

“Now rest,” he ordered. He shoved your shoulder down again, forcing you to lay down again. “Do not get out of bed again or you will be punished.”

You let out a soft whimper that sounded loud against the stone walls. “Look, I appreciate—.”

“Good,” he muttered with a soft smile.

“What?”

He sat down beside the futon. “I am pleased that you appreciate what I am doing.” He reached over to set the lantern up a little closer to your bed. “You were almost frozen before I got you here.” He grunted again. “Hypothermia.”

Your eyes went wide for a moment and you tried again. “So...thank you for getting me warmed up. But...where am I? Why am I—?” You glanced down at your wrapped up body and flushed dark red. “—why am I naked?”

The wolf man tossed his head and the heavy pelt fell back to reveal a long, thick braid of snowy white hair. His face was heavily tanned and on a less handsome man, it would make him look ten years older, but he just looked even more ageless.

“Your clothes were completely ruined,” he replied easily. “I will not have a new pelt for your new clothes until I am able to hunt another deer. Maybe two.” He shrugged with a wolffish grin on his face. “But it is not a hardship for me to have you wrapped up in my furs in my den.”

“What?” You gaped at him. “Your...den?”

He shrugged again. “It’s admittedly not much. Certainly not as much as I have...ahh, seen before.” He looked around. “But it is snug and we are well protected here.” He gestured vaguely. “And with the heavy snows this year, no one will disturb the valley until we are deep in spring.”

You shivered. “But...you? You leave and come back? Don’t you?”

He shook his head with a smile. Gingerly, he reached out to you. You flinched, pulling back as much as you could in the tight covers. He paused for just a moment—just long enough for you to realize you weren’t going anywhere and relax again—and then brushed a tendril of hair from your face.

His voice was low and amused. “Why would I leave? I have everything that I want...right here.” Your eyes went wide as he continued stroking tendrils of hair from your face. He smiled and gave you a shallow nod that seemed to speak of approval. “I will see you in the morning, then.”

He moved the kettle closer to your bed. Reaching out to the lantern, he turned the light down. He patted you gently with the distinct air of someone giving a pet an affectionate stroke. “Do not worry, usagi. No one else will disturb your rest.”

You didn’t want to ask him about “anyone else”, and, truthfully, you were exhausted. You heard him as he stood and went out of the “room”, and then heard some heavy padding before a thick and weighty thump. Then it was silent as only a stone room could be. You were counting the heartbeats in your ears and, almost without meaning to, you fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

It was hard to say what made your sleep so restful—the even, dim lighting or the endless silence or your own exhaustion—but you didn’t even do much more than twitch for endless hours. Those hours were filled with dark silence and shadowy dreams of a large, pale wolf as it padded around you restlessly. Even when you did rouse slightly, it was only to reach for the cup of water and take a few swallows before sleeping again.

The next thing you knew, you were being gently stroked by rough fingers. You shuddered slightly, your eyes fluttering open. The huge man was again beside your mattress, staring down at you with a gaze that made your skin shiver.

“So you awaken at last,” he murmured softly. His rough hands quite freely roamed your shoulders and neck, but not in a sexual or intimate way. Instead, he seemed to be checking you like a parent would stroke a fevered child’s brow. “It seemed that you would sleep forever.”

You looked up at him fearfully. Now that you were rested—and truly you were rested for the first time in days—you realized that you were starving, thirsty and desperately needed a bathroom. Beneath his gaze, though, you were afraid to admit anything that might be a weakness in front of this stranger.

All the television movies said that the thing to do if you were held was to be relatable, to make yourself seem human and to form a bond so that they would be less likely to hurt you. That seemed reasonable enough—back in a world with televisions and electricity. But would it work out in an endless frozen wilderness? “So...what’s your name?”

“And you speak, too,” he smirked. “My name is Hanzo.”

“Just ‘Hanzo’?”

“Just Hanzo.” He nodded as he pulled back a bit. “But I can hear your stomach rumbling and I think you probably want a few moments as well.” He stood and pointed to a dark corner of the cave. “Back there is...for lack of a better plan, a can and some privacy—.”

“A can?!”

“You are welcome to go into the woods.” He smiled as you shuddered. “I thought you might not want that.” You nodded as your cheeks went flaming red. “I will go and fetch you something to eat.”

You took a grateful few moments to yourself and found that it was literally a large, open can in the corner of the cave. It smelled foul, but it was better than tramping out in the woods that you assumed were at least ankle deep in snow. You came out and dove for the skins as you heard his footsteps coming closer. He came in slowly with a heavy bowl of something.

“You will need to eat most of this, or I will be very disappointed,” he muttered, settling beside your futon as you wrapped the skins around your body in a clumsy fashion.

You sniffed the air suspiciously and found that it was...not as bad as you thought. There was the definite scent of onion or garlic and meat along with what might have been thyme. The giant man offered you an oversized ladle looking thing, smirking as you took a hesitant sip.

“This late in the season, I have to use my dried provisions so we must make do.” He shrugged carelessly. “I have garlic, onions, potatoes and yams and some rice.” He seemed to look for a moment beyond the stone walls as he continued. “The monks that tended this temple had extensive gardens as well—so there are some herbs, but most of those are for when we need medicines.”

You took a deep breath and were surprised at how tasty the broth was. Or maybe you were so desperately hungry that anything was going to be delicious. You hadn’t had anything like this thick broth with the small bits of meat, sweetly simmered onions and garlic in a long time. It tasted like a grandmother had been simmering it for ages. You drank the whole thing down almost without a breath.

“Good,” he nodded with an approving smile. “You will need to eat well and grow strong.” He took the ladle from you and dipped it in the broth again, giving you another serving. “The winter is going to be long and harsh this year.”

You were sipping the broth from the ladle as he picked up the bowl and drank the rest with noisy gulps. He set the empty bowl aside with a soft sound. You blinked a little in surprise as he sighed heavily. The man waited until you were done with your second serving and he took the dish from you.

There was a heavily silence as he watched you closely. “Are you feeling better?” he asked finally.

You nodded nervously. With a nervous flush, you whimpered, “So...what about my clothes?”

He shrugged, an intimidating gesture of wide shoulders covered with fur and what you could now see was an extensive and probably expensive set of body armor. The wolf eyes sparkled at you almost as though it was alive and laughing at you. He finally gave you a chuckle and asked, “Do you sew?”

“What?!” You cocked your head curiously. “I...I guess? I could do something small...maybe.”

“What I will make you will not be stylish, but it will be warm.” He cocked his head again. “But I can also try to...find a few things.”

“Find?” You bit your lip anxiously. The entire valley had seemed desolate and empty so there were no neighbors to borrow from. “Do you mean ‘steal’?”

“I mean...to borrow without asking first.” He shrugged, looking down for a bit. “And in the spring, I will return them if if worries you so much.”

You nodded your head, wondering what was going to happen in the spring that was making him so sure.

“So, we are agreed,” he nodded solemnly. “I will take care of you.”

“A-a-and the farm?” Your eyes teared up slightly. “It...it’s not much, but my...my father and my...little sisters need it.”

He shrugged. “I will...think about it.”

“What?!”

“I will think about it.” He shrugged again, ignoring your outburst. “Sleep a bit. Take a nap. Even I can see that you have been traveling poorly for some time.”

“I’m bored,” you pouted, pulling the pelts closer around yourself.

“I will walk with you a short ways.” He watched you closely, although you couldn’t tell if it was his eyes or the eery wolf eyes that saw you. “Perhaps it will do you good to stretch and exercise a bit.”

You were surprised at the sudden change of mood. He patiently walked you through the strange hairpin stone corridor to where a doorframe had been set into the rock—however uneven and unsteady the relationship might be since the door leaned more than slightly. This opened into a larger cavern area.

It was a strange place. There was a flat, open area that obviously used to be traveled. There were a few branches of tunnels that splayed off in strange directions and you thought you could see some kind of tracks or something going down them. A few dusty industrial can lights hung overhead, with thick wires looping between them. A few tables—heavy steel picnic looking things—were here and there was another branch with a door on it.

This cavern had a rickety ladder that went up to a narrow platform at a hole in the cavern. There were two locker boxes on the ends of the platform, making it appear to almost be a cozy nook to sit and watch the outside world. The hole was shaped strangely—like an icy narrow pair of lips with thin holes of grey light filtering through. The tiny sliver of sky that you saw was a darkly cloudy daylight sky.

Hanzo noticed your gaze going up the ladder. “It is snowing still. I have had to clear the opening a bit because it was getting clogged again.” He paused, watching you carefully. “But I do not want you to go up the ladder without me.”

“Why?” you snapped testily. “I might escape?”

“Escape?” He laughed softly, a heavy hand landing on your shoulder and rubbing it with what might be affection. “Hardly. Not only is the snow a dangerous prospect to begin with and the paths steep, but the ladder is old.” He paused thoughtfully as measured his words. “The terrain is treacherous.”

“What is this place?” You looked at the heavy electric cables running along the floor and the lights from the ceiling. Questions burned out faster than you could ask them. “Are we underground?” He nodded. “Why is it so warm?”

He shrugged. “Before the Omnic Crisis, this was part of the Toyoha Mine. The Omnics were used to mine the zinc, indium and silver—the lead was deemed too much of a health hazard for humans to work. It was wired and so on—there’s lights and so on—but the Omnic rebels blasted the main entrance and the transportation entrance where the trucks could come in caved in.”

He looked around for a moment, almost as if seeing it for the first time. “The temple was tended by a Shinto sect that accepted that there was living divinity in the Omnics, and welcomed them. When the rebellion occurred, the existing human monks were allowed to continue worshipping, but no further human monks were accepted into their ranks. Unfortunately, few of the locals accepted the arrangements and eventually, the temple was attacked and almost no one survived. The few who did—both Omnic and humans—came here to this abandoned branch of the mine.

“As to how we are so warm, we are very close to geothermal vents. Some of the deepest tunnels get to reach a eighty to ninety degrees Celsius. The little vent up there gives us fresh air and there are vents and fans that can carry the air around, but we also have lights that are down a lot of the tunnels.”

He turned you to face himself. “I cannot tell you enough to avoid going down the tunnels. There are still open veins of zinc and indium and, the most dangerous, are the open veins of lead. There is lead dust all over down there—even in some of the fans and ducts. It will make you unbearably ill.” His face shadowed with worry. “It could make you go mad.”

“I...I won’t,” you promised. Even you had heard about the evils of lead poisoning. “I’m not going to go down there.”

He stared at you with narrowed lips and eyes. “I will hold you to your promises.” He gestured towards the other door. “Through there is what used to be one of the largest on-site offices and break room. There is a small area to cook our meals and a few other things.”

You nodded slowly before looking at the ladder again.

“No, wild one,” he whispered again in your ear. “Do not try it.” He sighed and wrapped his arms around you tightly. “Come back to the nest—.”

“The-the nest?”

“Where you sleep, little one.” He dipped his head to whisper in your ear. “That is the nest.” Your eyes went wide and you were about to scream when his heavy hand came across your mouth. “Do not scream, please. I can hear you quite well.”

His breath puffed in and out as he ground against you. The armor had all kinds of stiff edges, but it was the heat between his legs that caught your attention the most. “Your scent is increasing.” He sniffed again, the breath ruffling your hair. “Ehh...you still have the scent of fear, too, but that will pass.” Your body jerked as he...what? There was a hot, wet press of his lips against the back of your neck and you shook. “Do not worry, meito—I can still smell your perfection.” He sighed with unmistakable pleasure. “I will enjoy claiming you.”

“Claiming me?! What is that supposed to—?” You shuddered as you realized what he meant. “You’re crazy.”

“No,” he sighed with a bowed head. “But I must do my duty to you.” He gave you a sad smile. “I would have preferred more time before this, but as it is, it cannot be helped.”

“W-w-w-what can’t be helped?”

“You are a rare blessing, and it my duty to protect you,” he said slowly. “But there is a chance that others might have been following you to the valley. If I do not claim you, not only do I dishonor myself and the gods that have sent you to me, but others could try to take you by force.” His eyes were earnest suddenly, staring into yours anxiously. “I do not have any other choice if you are to remain mine and free from other claims. 

“If it helps, I am sorry that it could not be different. Please, understand that if I had any choice—if there was any other way—I would do whatever I could to do this differently. But I must claim you now.”


	4. Chapter 4

Your scream was stifled by his hand and you wriggled as hard as you could, but he was far stronger and in far better shape. He had not been wrong—you had been traveling on foot and begging for food and homeless for weeks. You were considerably weaker and he wrestled you to the mattress easily.

You lost your breath when he shoved you to the mattress and blankets. Whining and whimpering, you rolled on the blanket and pelts. You couldn’t even care, for a moment, that you had lost your grip on the skin around you. Dizzily, you wondered why he hadn’t pounced on you.

Then, you knew. You heard the clang of the door as he slammed it and then an almost deafening sound of a heavy padlock. He stalked back in and with a careless nudge of his foot, he sent the lantern rolling far away from you to a corner of the room.

You whimpered and your eyes were riveted to him. He was shadowed as he began unbuckling the leather belts with belt pouches before tossing them aside. He moved slowly and carefully, his sharp eyes watching your every move. He then began untying and unfastening the heavy body armor before setting even that aside.

He was...massive. Not like bulging or “fit” or even “muscular” like the magazines showed. He was, simply put, massive underneath the wolf pelt. You swallowed heavily, fearfully, as he picked up one of the belts and pushed the supply pouches off of it. Then he folded it in his hand and walked up to you.

“Little one, are you going to fight me?” His voice was low and grave. “I will not hurt you if you listen to me.” You blinked up at him from your helpless sprawl on the mattress. He watched quietly and finally you snarled at him through your teeth as your fists came up. “Put your arms by your sides.”

You growled instead and threw one of the pelts at him. He dodged and tackled you, driving you down to the mattress. You kicked, yelping painfully as his hand grabbed your wrist locked it. He slammed it down against the hard floor, making you whine again. You balled up your other hand and hit his temple. He grunted, shaking his head as he blocked your next hit with his arm. He slammed your wrist again, sparks of pain trickling up your nerves.

You growled and bit him. He snarled again and took your wrists in one of his big hands. You tugged on his grip, wincing with a whine as you did. “You only hurt yourself fighting me,” he grunted. “You need to choose to submit.”

“Never!” you hissed, the sound strangled strangely as he pressed down harder on your torso. “You sick bastard.”

He let out a soft sound and put his hand on your stomach. His hand seemed to caress you lightly, which made you screech and kick hard. He scowled and then pressed hard. Air whooshed out of you and your scream became a gurgle. You coughed, sputtering and trying to suck in a breath. Instinctively, you kicked one last time.

This time, you hit pay dirt and your heel slammed into his side. He rolled off of you, pushing hard again on your soft belly. Again, the breath was knocked out of you—even worse this time. Your body twisted and you gasped for breath. He only stood and waited, walking over to the skin you had thrown at him. He picked it up and tossed it to you only for you to kick it aside. He held the belt and cracked it over your head with a loud popping sound. “Now, put your arms by your sides.”

Frowning and shaking and only now catching your breath, you laid back down. He grunted and nodded shortly, pulling your arms down beside your body. Your knees were wobbly and weak, even from laying on the floor like this. He knelt beside you and his hands wrapped the belt around your waist and arms, pinning them against you before fastening the belt behind your back. He muttered soothingly as he took a second belt and, bending your elbows, he looped them around your wrists before looping it under the first belt.

“Good girl,” he muttered softly. His hand drifted across your brow in a soothing move. Your traitorous body shook again, but relaxed anyway—just enough to let him slip between your thighs. “Let me claim you.”

Between your legs, he put his hands on your waist. The man’s cock was hot and hard as it rubbed up over your mound. It felt huge and you twisted your hips nervously, jerking in his hands. When he bent to suckle your breasts, it looked like a huge wolf lapping at you. You jerked again, whining. He looked up at you, his eyes glittering as he lapped at your sensitive nipple.

“N-n-nooo,” you whined. “Please no.”

“Shhh,” he whispered against your skin. “I must claim you. I must do it to protect you.” He sighed and seemed almost mournful for a moment. “I am truly sorry. This one time...it might—.”

You shrieked in fear, jerking against the belts. He growled low in his throat, flinching at the harsh sound. With a sudden movement, he flipped you to your belly. You landed on your bent arms and he was behind you almost before you knew what was going on.

He pulled on your hips and instantly you felt his cock bumping your core. He hissed as he curled his hips and drove inside you with a wicked thrust. You were so warm and gripped him so tightly. Even when you whined and rolled your hips, trying to get your knees under you, you felt like sun fire in his blood. And your smell—the smell of heat and honey and the bracingly fresh scent of sunlit forests and other things that he wanted to bury his nose in. The scent you gave him drove him even more mad.

He let out a soft howl. He had to control himself. He panted, his hands shaking as he thought about anything and everything to try to settle the boiling heat in his blood. He had waited so long—he could be patient a bit more. Should be able to wait a bit more. So, he paused, panting noisily to try and give you every moment of patience he could.

You bucked wildly as he slid the first bit in a shallow thrust. He nipped your tight shoulder and felt you shudder as he slid further in. You yelped wildly as his teeth tightened ever so slightly. Letting go, he lapped at the pink mark on your skin. “Soon, pet, soon,” he crooned, thrusting again. “Soon you will understand.”

There was no other sound you could make as you felt his cock invade your body. You weren’t wet and weren’t prepared. But there was no way to be prepared for the thick girth as it pushed inside. Every twitch seemed to scrape your core raw. Your body was burning, scalding as he kept pushing and pushing. You drug in a half breath as you wriggled, trying to ease the pain of the stretch inside you. 

His hands became gentle, stroking your skin, as you whimpered underneath him. Hanzo took a deep breath and lapped at your shivering skin. Your body loosened as he waited and kept stroking and lapping. He nibbled at your earlobes and felt rewarded when you let out a soft keening sound. It brought almost brought tears to his eyes that you were willing to give him that much. He lapped again at your earlobe, crooning wordlessly and soothingly and moved as slowly as he could.

Your core fluttered wildly and he felt your legs loosen and soften a bit more. You shifted and let out a noise as your back curved ever so slightly towards him. He sighed and moved, praying that the slight moisture was not in his imagination. He thrust forward as you shivered again. It didn’t help the wild feeling that he was sweating to control, but it did make him feel better as he began thrusting. After another shove, you saw stars as the tip pushed against your womb.

“You are so tight,” he whispered in your ear. He braced and thrust forward again. Your body opened more and then more, accepting him finally with moist welcome. He shuddered as a thrill went down his spine. “You take me so well.”

You shivered and bucked, sending another jolt of unexpected pleasure through him. He pulled back and then slid forward again and the burning friction was unbearably hot. Your mind was still confused—no one could have blamed you for that—but now you were feeling more. Your body...your body loved this and it made you flinch, flush with embarrassment. Suddenly, you felt an unwilling flood of slick gush around him. Your body was warming, moistening—frustratingly starting to accept and even encourage his invasion.

“So good. That is good,” he praised softly. Thrusting again, he bit again on your shoulder. You yelped, bucking clumsily. Pulling back, he stared at the rosy mark on your skin. “You are..so beautiful. So perfect. You are divinity.” He pressed soft, rapid kisses along your shoulders. “And you will be beautiful with my pups.”

“What?! Wha—!” You wriggled, suddenly afraid and that fear cut through every careful feeling he had been building around you. “Pups?!”

He ground his hips back into you as the feeling of heat shuddered around him. “You will be beautiful with my pups,” he repeated with another thrust. He pounded into you, feeling you move and your wet core gripping him. “I will protect and provide for you and you will bear my pups.”

“N-n-no—!”

“Shhh...not immediately,” he panted. His body was locked in pleasure and your fear made your body thrash. “Not immediately.”

You wailed and your thrashing pushed hard up against him. He hissed as your core tightened around him, blinding him with heat. “Stop, little one.” You shook your head and he whimpered, “Please...just stop.”

You finally whined and even if your core kept stroking him, you did manage to get laid down. Sighing, he began slowly lapping and kissing you again, waiting for you to relax. One hand threaded through your hair and you looked at him over your shoulder. Your tears went down your cheeks and he lapped at them.

“Even your sadness tastes sweet,” he murmured. He started thrusting again in a slow pattern until you began to respond. “You have been made for me.”

The thrusting was burning in your body and you wailed as he let your head go. Your body was responding to him as though you were a wind up toy just for him. He kept thrusting, bumping your womb and then growling when you clenched down. Your back arched further, desperate for something you were starting to want, but couldn’t name.

He rolled his hips again, finding some new place that made you see stars. “You are such a delight.” You bucked unwillingly in response, whimpers becoming whines and more liquid heat smearing between your legs. “You are perfect for me.”

You didn’t know what to do. You knew that you shouldn’t be responsive, shouldn’t be surrendering like this. But his thick cock was scraping inside and your blood was boiling. Somehow his gentle strokes and touches had turned into heated and sensual things that kept lighting you up. He knew it, too, and sped up slowly and gradually. Little whines tumbled out as he pumped in and out furiously. Your muscles ached, cramping as you tried to get that final push over the edge.

“Please...please,” you finally begged him breathlessly.

He gave you a guttural moan in response. His hands gripped you tighter and you felt desperate for what he was giving you. You were begging him, such soft sounds in that breathless whimper he already loved. He cock ached, throbbed, and you were giving him all that he had ever wanted. He shifted, balancing so that he could drive into you even harder. He thrilled to hear your gasp, your throaty cry. It satisfied him on a primal, animalistic level.

The burning scrapes felt delicious, but the confusion between your mind and body felt like it was gutting you. Tears flowed down your cheeks. You shouldn’t be doing this—shouldn’t be desperate for this kind of treatment. Instead of feeling chilled and desperate, you were writhing, biting your lip to stop from begging. It was electric, like lightning shooting between the two of you and you whined throatily as your body tightened more in anticipation.

“Scream for me,” he ordered hoarsely. “Scream.”

And you did scream as you fell over the edge with his lapping tongue touching every sensitive spot on your body. Then, as your core was still sparking and throbbing, you heard him howl as he poured hot thick cum into you.


	5. Chapter 5

Hanzo laid you down, unwinding the belts from your body. His cock still twitched and he kept a tight hold on your hips to stay as deep as he could. His seed leaked out from between your legs as he softened and pulled out. When he nuzzled your neck, he sighed to find a bit of his own scent mixed with yours as a sign he had claimed you. He had not felt this much at peace for a long, long time—if ever.

You were whimpering softly, your eyes closed and tiny twitches running through your body as you relaxed. Your body curled up instinctively as a streak of thick wet stained your thighs. He was smirking—you could feel it—as he drug the pelts over you again. He tucked them in tightly again and covered you with the blanket.

“Rest,” he whispered, patting your shoulder.

You were thinking about it, about how you were actually tired enough that you could sleep again, when you heard him. Turning to glance at him, you watched as he got dressed again. The body armor and thick clothes weren’t padded—he really was that massive. If anything, the armor seemed to only emphasize the man’s natural strength and build.

It was when he was fastening his belts and arranging the pouches on his hips that you spoke. “Are you...going out?”

He glanced up at you and you were again disturbed by the eery feeling that both his eyes and the wolf’s eyes were staring at you. “I will not go far—only to get a deer for dinner.” He smirked at you. “And I will expect that you should be here when I return.”

You stared up at him nervously, rolling to watch him. “But—.”

“No, koibito,” he grinned as he slid the final pouch to its place on his hip. “You need to rest and heal. Let me go out and hunt and while it is cooking, then we will do something together. Perhaps we will cut some branches from the pine grove.”

“Branches?” Your eyes went wide. “For a fire?”

He laughed then. “Hardly. We are warm enough and do not need the attention a fire would bring or to scare the animals.”

He gave you another smile and walked out, shutting the rickety door again. There were a few thumps and then silence. You waited and waited for what felt like hours before you wrapped one of the skins around you and crept to the door. The main cavern was empty, only a few murky sunbeams and some flakes of snow filtering in from the high opening.

You spent the time gingerly exploring the caverns. You did not dare go down the branches of the mine—even from your point of view at the mouth, you could see that everything was covered with a thick layer of dark grime and dust. Most of it seemed abandoned.

There was one other room that was relatively clean. It must have been a sort of break room and lunch room. It had what appeared to be a primitive shower and some generic lockers, another few of those heavy steel tables, some cabinets and some kitchen appliances including a walk-in freezer that had a heavy padlock on the door. There was a fridge, a sink, a small stove and two gas burners. Aside from that, there was a handful of small appliances—an electric kettle, a rice cooker, and a food dehydrator.

The cabinets weren’t interesting either—just row upon row of cans, a few plastic jars of basic spices, an ancient first aid kit, and a few pieces of camping gear along with twined up rope, a few knives, and an assortment of picks and axes.

You picked up a piece of dried meat to gnaw on and kept wandering around. No, you were pacing—in and out of the rooms. There was nothing here—nothing to do and nothing to see. Finally, you tucked the deer hide a little tighter around you and looked at the ladder.

The ladder looked fine—a heavy steel thing that was bolted to the cavern wall with a small square sign that might have been an electric exit sign. You tugged the ladder and it didn’t wiggle, no matter how much you yanked so it didn’t seem like it was that old or rickety. There was no telling when Hanzo would return, so you scampered up to the small scaffold at the top, just below the opening. You scrambled up and leaned out of the mouth and were about to climb out when you cried out in pain.

Set into the rock—or at least into the earth—and buried beneath the snow were sharp pieces of glass. The sharp edges were almost invisible in the brilliant snow that surrounded them. When you got your hand out, you had gotten cut. Your blood brilliant was red in the snow and a small bead of red trickled down one of the shattered edges. Recoiling, you wrapped your other hand around the cut and began the laborious process of trying to get down. You yelped, hissing as you slowly stumbled down the ladder.

You needed to get it cleaned up before you dripped blood all over everywhere. You had barely gotten your hand cleaned in the sink and wrapped up when you heard an almighty thump in the main cavern. Without looking, you knew it was the mysterious man and the second thump was his kill.

“What did you do?!” His voice bellowed out as he stalked into the kitchen. “What were you thinking?!”

“I cut myself,” you hissed back. You looked at him in bitter confusion. “And how did you...?”

“I know,” he snapped with a low growl. He snatched your hand and spun the first aid kit box so that it faced him. Digging around in it, he pulled out a small brown glass bottle and some bits of cotton rags. “I could smell it all over the mountainside.”

You whined as he unwrapped the bandages and examined the cut. He grunted sourly, “At least it doesn’t require stitches.” He popped open the bottle and singlehandedly doused some of the rag with the bright orange iodine. Dabbing at the cut, he ignored your whimper and sighed, “I told you that the terrain was treacherous. Will you believe me now?”

You nodded with a pained cry. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know.”

He examined the cut again, making sure to get it to pick out every speck of dirt. Finally convinced that it was clean, he began wrapping it again. “This time you were lucky and hit a clean piece of glass. I expect you to take care and listen to me next time.”

You nodded, tears forming in your eyes as you looked down at the cut. Unexpectedly, he crooked his finger and tilted your chin up. “Little one, just listen to me next time.” You nodded again. “You will be fine in a day or two, but we will keep it bandaged up just in case. And I covered the blood with fresh snow and some of the deer blood.” You looked confused. “So that no one would track you.”

That made...no sense. In fact, the more you thought about it, the less sense it made. He only offered you a smile and kissed your forehead briefly. “Come. You will not be able to help much now and we won’t be able to go out today, but I would like the company and you can see what to do next time.”

You followed him as he led you by your injured hand. Sure enough, there was a deer carcass—a dark eyed doe—with an arrow in it waiting on one of the tables. He did most of the...disgusting stuff—peeling the skin and butchering it—before dumping the guts in a bucket. You had to leave for some of it—and promptly lost your lunch. But it was done and he took the pieces of meat to hang in an old walk-in freezer.

You stared at the huge freezer in wonder. “What’s this doing in a mine?”

He looked at you, blood all over his hands and now bare arms and spotting his long white hair. “Just before the Omnic rebellion, this was used to store various supplies including food and to keep the Omnic spare batteries cool.” He puffed out another breath and you saw the cloud in front of his face. “It is a good place to age the meat and keep it from spoiling.”

You nodded slightly, idly rubbing your hand. “I guess.... I never have done it.” You shuddered. “What are you going to do with...with the guts?”

He grinned. “If you had listened to me, I would be able to show you.” Your face fell into a frown and you shifted uncomfortably in your skin. “So now you will have to wait.”

“N-n-no. Just tell me.”

He shrugged. “This valley is not known as Wolf Valley for nothing. The entrails are for the wolves on the trails.”

“I thought that native wolves were extinct?”

“A few of the Hokkaido wolves survived—mostly by mating with Akitas or Shiba Inus and the like. Then there was a preservation effort in the 2050’s and genetic clones were introduced to the valley.” He grinned. “Now that Japan is rightfully recognizing that we need to conserve and protect such beautiful creatures, they stock the valley with deer regularly and forbid hunting.” He shrugged, tugging you out of the freezer and locking it again before tucking the key under his clothes. “I take the leftovers and put them on the game trails on the mountain so that the wolves occasionally have food for their pups.”

Your heart softened at the image of a wolf puppy and you grimaced wistfully. “I wish that I could see them.”

“One day,” he nodded, walking back to the break room. He stripped off the heavy armor and rinsed it off in the shower before efficiently washing himself. You turned nervously away. “One day I will take you to watch them hunt.” He smiled softly at you. “And, of course, to see the pups.”

You flushed and turned away as he rinsed the blood off his body and hair. He had really the most sinfully beautiful white hair that you had ever seen. And that cock...as he washed it and rubbed it....

He caught you gawking at him. That was too embarrassing.

“So what else happens up here?” you asked as he turned off the water and began twisting his hair to wring the water out of it. He only shrugged and opened up a locker to reveal some battered towels. “Is there anything to do?”

He grinned wolfishly at you. “Hungry for me so soon?”

You realized his meaning an instant too late and turned red as you squirmed. “N-n-no.... I just wanted to know if there was like some cards or something.”

He grinned and shrugged, completely nude and unconcerned. “It need not be so dull. I can think of several things to do to pass the time until your hand is healed.”

You squeaked and turned red again and he just laughed before gesturing in the direction of the skin. “The skin will need to be scraped and stretched before nightfall. You could watch that and I will explain how to do it.”

And so you did that. The doeskin that you kept wrapping and re-wrapping around you didn’t seem so...so...something as you watched him stretch the skin on a crude frame and scrape it. He spoke occasionally, offering some stories of the mountain about hunting and fishing and the animals that lived here. You did manage to help a bit by holding the ties as he pulled the skin drum tight across the bamboo and steel frame. Then you both wandered to the kitchen as he took out some bones and a few pieces of dried meat and some dried vegetables and made some more soup.

After dinner was put on to boil, he carried you on his back like a child playing piggyback and climbed the ladder to show you the valley from that hole in the cavern. It sparkled beneath you in the waxing moon’s light and seemed as picture perfect as a painting in shades of blue and gray and white. He was careful to wrap his arms around you, the immense wolf skin—who knew wolves got that big?—keeping you extra warm.

You pointed to a small, flickering light down at the mouth of the valley. “What’s that?”

He went suddenly stiff and still, straightening up to stare over your shoulder. You felt tension in every muscle. “That is trouble.” He gripped you tightly with a soft growl. “Go to the bedroom and lay down. Take some water with you and do not leave the cave.”

“Why? What is it?”

“Danger.” He sighed heavily. “It is Jesse.”

“And who or what is Jesse?”

“A werewolf.” He stared down at you. “I carried you up here, but there is a chance he is following your scent. Or the scent of your blood now. Go to the nest and wait there for me.”

You shivered violently, tugging the skin closer to you. “A werewolf?! For real?”

He nodded shortly, watching the dot-sized fire down in the valley. “He comes around every so often. He was tracking me for a while, but I stay up here and have traps on the trails to prevent...unwelcome visitors.” He scowled. “I have not seen him for months. The last time I thought that I had...finally convinced him to leave me alone up here.” He scowled, glancing at the opening and the thick banks of snow. “As I said, I have not seen him for months, so I thought he had finally given up.” He scowled. “Apparently not.”

“What is he looking for?”

Hanzo shrugged. “At one point in my life, I would have said he was looking for me.” He glanced at you with a thoughtfully accusing expression, his almond shaped eyes narrowing. “But now...I am not so sure.”

“What?!” You scowled at him. “Are you accusing me of something?”

He scowled down at you. “Are you truly a tempting mate?” His hand reached to grab your jaw. “Or are you...tempting bait?”

“What?!” You jerked away and reached up to slap him, only to have him grab your wrist with your hand an inch from his face. “What are you saying?”

He snorted angrily. “Are you his latest gambit to find me?” He growled low in his throat. “Are you simply...a trap?” He gripped your wrist even tighter, making you wince as you shook your head. His voice dropped scarily and every word was clearly and angrily enunciated. “Go to the nest.”

You did not need to be told twice in that tone of voice, and hobbled down the ladder in silence before bolting to the bedroom cave. When you looked over your shoulder, you saw that Hanzo pulled out a heavy quiver and an ornate bow the colors of shadows and snow. He strapped the bow on his shoulder and buckled the quiver to his body carefully before climbing out of the hole and disappearing. So, you waited as patiently as you were able, sitting on the nest and getting comfortable.

It felt like forever and you had long since resorted to singing silly songs to keep yourself company. At last you heard rustling outside the room. You tucked the hide around yourself and peeked out. You were almost afraid to look, but you didn’t know whether you were afraid to see Hanzo or the mysterious Jesse he was so furious about.

The white wolf clad figure stomped beside the ladder, knocking snow off himself. He growled to himself as he brushed the snow off his pelt. You bit your lip, stepping out with the camping lamp and dragging the heavy pelt around you. He looked up, his hand on a knife instinctively, and then silently nodded towards you.

“Is everything...okay?” you asked softly.

His eyes flared for a moment and then he nodded. Puffing his breath, he said, “I believe so.” He shrugged and put down his bow and quiver. “But...you must remain here for the time being. If he has...tracked your scent, then the best way to avoid him is to stay here. The new snow will cover any tracks that you might have left and my own scent will cover anything here.” You opened your mouth and his voice rose a fraction and then he continued, “I will be here more as well. And the pack has already retreated further back into the valley, so they will not be in danger.”

You cocked your head curiously. “The pack? Of wolves?”

He nodded, unexpectedly smiling as if he was pleased that you followed his train of thought. “They have been...kind to me as I have been here.” He smirked softly at you. “And until you came, then they have been the only ones that kept me company.” He sniffed the air. “Come...our soup is ready.”

You followed him silently. The soup was bubbling softly on the gas burner, scenting the air slightly with meat, rice and vegetables. Hanzo brought out the huge bowl and the huge ladle and you both ate in stifling and forced silence. As he sipped the last of the broth, he said, “We will let the snow cover the opening tonight. It will keep your scent down.”

“And then?”

“In a few days, we will go back to what we planned—cutting some extra branches to expand the nest. That will give you a few days to get your hand healed as well.” He looked seriously at you. “We will have to expand the nest, lay in some supplies.”

“What?”

“Lay in some supplies. Get ready for the next storm, the next snow.” He smirked. “It is the way of these mountains—this valley—that you need to always prepare for the next emergency. The next storm is always close.” He shrugged. “And I have promised to show you my friends—the wolves—soon.”

You nodded, drinking the last bits of your soup sullenly. He had not said anything about helping your family in a long time. You were going to have to find some other way to help them—and quickly. Which meant you’d have to find a way down the mountain and make your way back to your home town. Perhaps even have to find this Jesse character to help you. Surely he could help you before the full moon.

And Hanzo was talking about showing you the wolves and the full moon. As muscular and fit as he was, you didn’t dare tell him anything other than what he wanted to hear, so you nodded and agreed. Not that you intended on being here that long—especially not if he couldn’t help your family—but it was more to string him along. You were plotting on how you would get out without him noticing when he cleared his throat.

“Do not.”

You blinked in surprise, your cheeks flaming, as the mental image of running down the mountain faded in his amber stare. “What?”

He smirked and leaned on the table. “I know when someone is plotting.” He shrugged, looking at you strangely. “I can tell by the way you stare at nothing, that you are thinking hard and it is not difficult to deduce that you want to defy me.” He raised a finger and tapped the end of your nose. “Do not play a game where you have to bluff, koibito. You will lose every time.”

You looked at him blankly, shuddering. It felt like he could reach into your head, and see what you were thinking. “No...it’s—it’s nothing.”

He shrugged with a smug smile at your suddenly pale face. “As you say.” He sat back slightly, his fingertip tapping on his bowl. “But that is something that will not happen tonight. Even if you managed to get up the ladder with your wounded hand, you have no ideas about the traps along the path and you are not so foolish that you would risk your life in a snowstorm.”

You scowled angrily—he was right, damn him. “So what do we do now?”

He nodded and pushed his dishes towards you. “We clean up and wash dishes. Sweep. Make sure that there is nothing for the rats to find.”

“Rats?!” you squeaked. You couldn’t help but look around the floor anxiously. “There are rats?”

He nodded, his mouth curling in amusement. “There are rats in every place in the world. But as long as we keep the living areas as clean as we can, then they will remain uninterested in us.”

You growled unhappily and picked up the dishes. Going over to the sink, you bit your lip and washed the dishes clumsily with your one hand. Hanzo brought you the dishes and began washing, giving you a towel to dry—something that you could more easily do with one hand. At last the dishes were done. He stood behind you, sniffing the air in a way that made you feel...intimidated.

“What? You smell a rat?”

He shrugged and nodded and then reached out to hold your wrist. “Be careful. The drains go out to the woods. I’ve put up sand and pebbles—natural filters—and planted some fiddleheads and reeds and—,” he chuckled, “—a few patches of mad weed and mint to help cover any scents that might linger. It was a precaution that I took some years back, but we cannot be too careful.”

You groaned, putting the clean dishes aside. “You are too much.”

“I am...prepared.” He smirked. “You should be grateful—I am also prepared with some things to do.”

You followed him to the lockers and looked inside the one that he opened. There were three 1000 piece puzzles, a big bag that held a fourth puzzle, a few boxed decks of cards and a stack of mismatched game chips, a small hand cranked radio, and a stack of ripped and worn books. You yanked open another locker and found only an assortment of odds and ends: spools of string, bottles of glue or plaster, spare bulbs of various kinds, a package of plastic spoons, a spool of leather thongs, a spool of tie wire, a handful of padlocks and combination locks, and a bag of what appeared to be rags. The next one held his collection of towels and linens in neatly folded squares and a few plastic mugs. The others were locked with heavy locks.

“Uhh...wow.” You blinked at the stash of things. “I guess...we’re good.”

He nodded, pulling out a deck of cards and a puzzle. “With an injured hand, your options are limited. But these will be something to do while we wait for the snow to close the paths.”

Doing puzzles and playing endless hands of go fish and old maid and bridge truly sounded like something out of an old folks home hell, but there was nothing else to do right now and you could see the light fading from the crevice in the cavern. Without much more thought, you picked up one of the boxed puzzles. “We can start here, I guess.”

“As you wish,” he nodded slowly. He took a rag and wiped down the table. “Will this be sufficient?”

“Yeah.” You poured the pieces out and watched them scatter. “Let’s get started.”

He nodded slowly and sat down across from you. You groaned to see that it was a double-printed puzzle. “What the hell is this?” You picked up a piece to show him. “How are we to do this when we don’t know which side is which?”

“Part of the charm,” he smirked. Then he began sliding the edge pieces into a pile. “I am sure that you will find it as challenging as I do.”

Yes, damn him—it was challenging. When he stepped out briefly to relieve himself, you picked up the box to take a look at it and the splashy script on the side said the image was not only almost the same on both sides, but the back was rotated 180 degrees for “added fun”. You groaned to look at the image—a gray and white timber wolf on one side facing a mechanical wolf comprised of black and silver gears and springs with a starry sky above them and reflected in a pool of water. The full moon shown down to reflect into a mechanical new moon of dark gears. Around them was black silhouettes of trees and forest.

You sighed and began picking and sorting out piles of pieces. The edges went into one pile. You took a guess as to what side was which and sorted out starry skies and black trees. You were scowling at a pile of half black and half starry pieces and picked up the next piece when you noticed it was in the shape of a wolf. You picked up the piece to stare at it.

“The heck?”

He looked up at you and smiled. “That is why I like this particular puzzle.” He shrugged and slid a few pieces into a pile. “The wolf-shaped pieces serve to remind me that we are not all alike and yet we all still have a place in the larger picture.”

You blinked in surprise, suddenly thoughtful. You had not expected such a profound or deep answer. Unsettled, you stared at the smooth lines of the wolf with its head thrown back mid-howl. Part of it was printed black and the rest was starry sky—a part of a tree or mountain. He did not seem to notice, placidly sorting and occasionally trying to put together two pieces.

The moon was only about six pieces. The new moon was harder—the black gears mixed in with the black gears of the dark wolf and its reflection. You puffed out an irritated breath, staring at the pile of black and silver gear pieces. It seemed to be irritatingly complicated, trying to figure out which pieces were which. You got three pieces to fit together and that felt like an amazing accomplishment.

“Finally!” you growled.

“Good,” he said softly. “The puzzle will take time.”

“Forever,” you muttered sourly.

“Not hardly, koibito,” he smiled. “It will only look like it.” He gestured towards the opening. You blinked to discover it was almost completely closed and almost dark. How long had you been sitting there?

“It is not as late as it seems,” he murmured as your face fell. “The sun sets early behind the mountains. The storm makes it seem darker as well.” He nodded towards it again. “While it is covered, your scent will be...contained—.”

“You are, like, obsessed with that,” you snapped bitterly. “If I stink, it’s your fault.” You flicked a piece aside into the unsorted pile since it didn’t seem to fit into anything. “So what is the deal, anyway?”

“‘The deal’?” He cocked his head. “I do not understand.”

“You keep going on and on about my scent and how it needs to be masked and hidden and stuff.” He nodded slowly. “What is it that I’m supposed to be hiding from?”

Hanzo nodded slowly, folding his hands over the pieces. “You are...special. You are—for lack of a better word—blessed.” He stared into your eyes. “I know it was hard. I claimed you before anyone else could. So, you are now safe until the next full moon.” He looked over at the ladder, the hole and then back at you. “You are safe here and the full moon is coming. Everything will be fine.”

“The full moon?” You slammed your hand on the table. “What are you? A werewolf?”

“Not exactly a werewolf as I understand you to mean it, but not entirely incorrect either.” He nodded slightly, shrugging. “Of a sort, I suppose—.”

“What?!” You gaped at him. “I don’t believe this.” You glowered at him. “And I suppose that you are fighting the other werewolf, too?”

He stared at you solemnly. “Is that so unbelievable?”

You blinked slowly. He was dead serious—his face grim and solemn. You shivered slightly at his flat answer. This was insane and you needed to get out of the crazy before something else happened. He obviously wasn’t going to help you. “So...what happens when the moon is full?”

He smiled and shrugged. “Are you worried that I will turn into a slobbering, raving monster?” He shook his head slightly. “I will not become some kind of senseless creature to devour you.” He shrugged ruefully again. “My claim on you is not something for you to fear or to fight.” He shrugged. “And there is no reason for you to start worrying. It only makes you anxious and fretful.”

“‘Anxious and fretful’?” You scowled again, flushing as you realized he was right and sufficiently embarrassed that you didn’t want to admit it. “You.... You can’t know that.”

He smiled, his teeth looked long and white. He tapped the side of his nose. “I...can...smell your fear.” He took a deep breath, holding it in his lungs for a moment. “I can smell that you are afraid, that you are anxious and perhaps are a little confused.” He fit together a few more pieces in silence as you watched him. “I can only help you conquer your fear, help you conquer your anxiety. The rest of the path we will travel together.”

You shivered again, your mouth dry. “I...I need a drink.”

“I will assume you do not mean you wish for water or tea.” He took another sniff of the air. “You need not be so anxious.” He slid a pointed glance to the hole. “The snow is still falling. Your tracks and the blood you spilled are covered and no one will harm you.”

“And Jesse? The other werewolf? How does he fit into this?”

“You need not fear him, mate. He is still at the mouth of the valley and it will take him several days to reach us here, if he wants to reach the den at all. Perhaps the deep snow and the traps will dissuade him from trying.” Hanzo nodded slowly. “Which is good.”

“Who is he?” you asked in a far more sure voice than you felt.

Hanzo sighed and glanced away as he fiddled with a piece idly. “He is.... I knew him from a long time ago. I left that life behind—left everything behind—and came here—.”

“Why?!”

His golden eyes bored deep into yours. “To save myself.” He never wavered or dropped his gaze but his voice went soft. “I had saved my family—my brother. I saved my friends. But there never was an end to the conflict, an end to the fighting. And one day, after I had been badly wounded and all but dead in an alley after a fight, I realized that I needed to save myself.

“I realized, there would always be another fight, another opponent. There will always be something left undone. There was no end to the journey, no end to the filth, no end to the...the impurity. Every full moon I performed the harae and I was again impure the very next night. Finally, I went to the Inari Shrine, to offer a blood sacrifice and to plead for purity and guidance.

“But instead of guidance, I heard nothing. I felt nothing. Enraged, I bolted out of the temple and into the night. I walked all night, going nowhere. At sunrise, I was in a place I had never been. I saw a brilliant light—blinding light of the sunrise or a solar flare—and I heard a voice unlike any that I had heard before.” His eyes took on a warmth you hadn’t seen before. “Amaterasu’s voice came from the sunrise and when she left me, Tsuki-Yomi blessed me as well. I was changed from the inside out and it was like all of my sin had been burned away and I was purified as if I had bathed in a crucible and I was reborn.

“Since then, I have been the guardian of this temple, of this place. I guard the trails and the paths and—as much as I can by myself. I try to make sure the travelers are not harassed. I try to make sure that I take care of the wolves as much as they take care of me.” He gave you a small, shy smile. “And in return for my devotion, for my protection, then Amaterasu and Tsuki-Yomi granted me—at long last—the comfort of a mate.”


	6. Chapter 6

You fell backwards away from him, every bit of color leaving your face. Your voice was hoarse and quiet. “No.”

He shrugged slowly and glanced away. “You asked. I answered.”

“But...the whole thing—I mean.... A mate?! Are you insane?” You shook your head, backing away slowly.

He smirked. “It is not something that you need to fear.” He joined a few more pieces. “I will honor you, treat you well. I will endeavor to treat you better than any other you have known.” He fit a portion of reflection into the corner. “And we have time to get to know each other.”

“Until the full moon?” you asked softly.

He paused, picking up a wolf shaped piece and studied it. “Since the dawn of time, we have looked to the moon—measured time by it, been inspired by it. It had formed the basis of how we measure weeks, seasons. The moon gives us the tides, moving seas and oceans.” He glanced up to you and then back at the piece. “We look to the moon for inspiration, compose odes and poems on her changes.

“This full moon is the beginning of a wolf’s month and the wolf’s moon is our most fortunate time. When we are gathered by Tsuki-Yomi and he gives us his blessing.” He smirked. “Tsuki-Yomi and Amaterasu together in the heavens watch over the wolves.”

You kept turning a piece over and over in your hand. It was an ordinary piece—two knobs and two holes with stars printed on the front and the back. The piece spun in your fingertips. Slowly, he reached out to cover your hands with his own.

“It was not chance that led you to the valley,” he said quietly. “It was Amaterasu’s will that I be here. That I protect the valley and her temple. It was Tsuki-Yomi’s purpose for you to be here for the wolf’s moon.” He was silent for a moment. “It was no accident that you came to the temple to ask for aid. Every step that we have taken has led us to this.”

You looked up and found his eyes boring into your own. “But...but all I wanted was some help.” You flushed angrily, your eyes filling with tears. “It...it wasn’t fair. My father lost his farm. It’s all that...that we had. My sisters—they will die alone on the streets.”

He smiled softly. “We will find a way to help them.” He shrugged. “And the ways of the gods are not always clear. It may be difficult, but we wolves are survivors.”

“What?!” you burst out. “I’m definitely not like you!”

“No...you are currently not like me,” he nodded. The rest of what he might have said—‘not yet’ or ‘but soon’—hovered in the air. Finally, he added, “But I will show you, help you.” You shuddered, feeling something clogging in your throat. “And you will do well.”

“D-d-do...you promise?” you sobbed softly.

“I promise,” he said, “that I will show you the best I know how.” He took the piece from your numb fingers and set it down carefully. “And it is now time for you to return to the nest. Sleep is the best thing to mend what is broken now.” His hand cupped your cheek gently. “Your body is still recovering from your ordeals and travels, but your heart needs care as well. Sleep will aid in healing both.

“We have no schedules, no time to keep. We can sleep when we tire. We can rise when we are rested. We can eat when hunger, drink when we thirst. The valley is our home and we are safe here.” You looked at him. “You will be safe here, and I will take care of you.”

You felt like you had to ask one question. “And...my family?”

He sighed. “Your farm is far from here, but I will promise that after the full moon, I will help you.”

“That’s so long,” you whimpered sadly. “And the winter is here now.”

He nodded. “I know.” He touched your hand. “Until you heal, you need some help and cannot help them.” He glanced angrily at your bandages. “And I want to be sure you will be here when I return.” His eyes were serious and soft as he looked at you. “And I have already pledged that your family will have my help.”

You nodded bitterly. “So that is your price for your help? Me staying here?!” You were only half surprised when he nodded with a careless shrug. You glanced up at the blocked entrance, the thick snow and thought about your little sisters and father. “Is there...anything else you would accept?”

He smirked and shook his head. “I would not.”

“Our land? Our animals?” You shook heavily, scrambling for ideas. “We have.... My mother has...a pair of hair combs. Her...her grandmother was....” You shrugged lamely, flushing. “My great-grandmother was supposed to be a beautiful woman and she had a wealthy lover. All that’s left is the combs, but they have three pearls on each of them.”

“And what use would I have,” he smirked as he slid aside the furry pelt and pulled out his long, thick white braid, “for combs with pearls on them?”

You flushed, your hands curling into fists. His long, thick hair was completely pulled back in his braid. He had no more use for the combs than he had for makeup or fancy clothes. “We don’t have anything else!”

“I have already accepted your bargain—you are enough as you are,” he said softly.

“That is so...dirty. You are making me into some kind of bargaining chip or something.”

“And are you accommodations so poor?”

His evenly spoken question made you think. You were safe, warm and well fed. You were a little bored, but that wasn’t a terrible thing—you could be on the streets of your village, selling your body to anyone would pay you. It seemed to be a small price to pay for your family’s safety, but it still felt skeezy.

“Now, tell me about your farm.”

“I am not—!” you sputtered.

“Your farm,” he repeated slowly, his eyes hardening as he firmly changed the subject. “Tell me about it.”

You sighed heavily. He was implacable, simply waiting for you to answer him. So, you told him about the farm. At first, it was stupid and prosaic details—how much land you had, the barn that held your two pigs and the ox and the few chickens, the small house you all lived in. But as he listened quietly, without judgement, you found yourself talking about how you played in the loose hay in the barn, the little rock that you and your sisters hid things under, the well that kept slowing down during the hot summers in the valley, the walk from your house to the market with the slow ox kicking up dust on the road.

He laughed as you described going to the creek and playing in the wide, shallow place where the tadpoles and baby fish gathered. You were smiling warmly at the memories—how you splashed around, catching fireflies and tadpoles, and paddling in the cool water. It was peculiarly comforting to have him simply listen as you talked about the home you grew up in, the small things you took comfort in and your humble pleasures. You might not have had much in the way of luxuries or toys, or even clothes, but you had been rich in love and contentment.

He smiled at you as you spoke of the wild kittens that lived in your poor barn. “It sounds like a...special place.”

“I-I-I guess I-I-I thought that I’d always be there,” you whispered. “I wasn’t asking for much from life. I was going to just stay there, taking care of my father and my sisters.” You shrugged. “My sisters were...were going to go to get married or go to school or something. My sister...she was so smart. And Hana—she was so pretty. My father said she could be a model or a geisha or something once she got old enough.” You flushed. “I was not so smart or so pretty, but I could get things done.”

He looked at you solemnly. “But you were the steady one—the rock everyone leaned on.” You blinked in surprise. “You were the one that everyone depended on to do your chores and do all the hard and messy jobs.”

You shrugged again as your cheeks heated. “It wasn’t anything special. Just doing what needed to be done.”

He chuckled. “I will take care of you now. The work here is not difficult—nothing you haven’t done before—and I will be here.”

“But my family....”

“Where are they now?”

“I left them with a family of missionaries. My father doesn’t know that I came here—.”

“And where does he think you are?”

“I told him that I was going to see if I could find work in the in one of the stores in the market. That I’d go to the city and work as a...a...well, anything. I thought that there would surely be someone who wanted a maid or a waitress or something. The missionaries said that my sisters could stay as long as they needed, but there wasn’t a lot of room and w-w-without the farm, there’s no money.”

“And your farm?”

“The farm had a hard time last year—the summer was terribly dry and we lost a lot of the crops. A man in a suit from the bank came and gave my father papers and told us we needed to leave. We didn’t even have time to pack anything—we just had to leave.” Your rage made you shiver. “But my father is an honorable man and he always had money put aside for us. It wasn’t much, but we might have survived.

“Then I heard men talking in the streets that a bank was foreclosing illegally because some big-shot was doing something. A lot of the farms were seized or foreclosed—some didn’t even have debts in the first place—and lots of us were out in the streets. There is no reason that we should have lost the farm.”

Hanzo hummed softly, nodding his head slowly. His solemn features gave nothing away as he watched you and listened. “And you heard about the valley....”

“Everyone told stories about the okami of the temple of Amaterasu in Wolf Valley,” you muttered. “The missionaries said that it was a folk story to amuse children, but others said it was true. But the...there was a man who said that he was traveling down the road past Wolf Valley and was attacked by a robber. He said that he was blinded by a brilliant light and when he could see, the robber was unconscious and tied to a tree. He said he was safe the entire way home.” You shrugged. “It...sounded plausible enough.” He snorted. “Okay fine—I was desperate enough. I was desperate enough to not...not think it through.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving you. “As I said, we were led to be here together.”

You didn’t know what else to say to that. He studied you silently, giving you mental space as you relived your harder times. Finally he patted your hand. “Sleep. Rest.” He pointed to the back room. “The nest is a sanctuary for you at times like this—in times of confusion or disquiet.”

You followed him as he led you to the bed. He tucked you in again and you let him wrap you in the blanket and hides. You were exhausted enough that you did not fight his least little whim. He knelt beside the bed, stroking your skin reverently. “Do you want something to help you sleep?” You shook your head quietly. “If I do not see any sign of Jesse tonight, then I will take you out tomorrow.”

“You’re...letting me go?” You couldn’t hide the relief in your voice. “Truly?”

He shook his head with a grimace. “We will go uphill. There is an overgrown copse of pine trees and we can thin them out. I will take some of the bones and we will see if we can see any of the wolves.”

You laid down on the mattress, disappointment scrawled on your face. “But...”

“Nothing else needs to be said,” he whispered softly. “Now...rest.” He half-pointed to the doorway. “I will be out there to make sure you are safe from...from predators.”

“And my family?”

“You are becoming tiresome with that refrain,” he grunted sourly. “I have already told you that I will help them.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

With that, he left you alone on the mattress. You sat there, staring at the rock walls as you shivered. He was absolutely indomitable, immovable. You had been idiotic even coming on this trip—you had almost died from cold, you had starved, all the things that you had suffered through. Now you were trapped here with this stubborn man who thought he was a wolf. A man who wanted to have you believe in werewolves. For a moment, you had fallen into his trap and almost believed his wild story.

But he was going to take you out—you would have a chance to see the terrain. It wouldn’t be hard to go downhill and find the temple, would it? If it was hard, you could wait until the second or third time and it would be easier still to get free. You could handle it, right?

You were drowsing as you sat there when you heard some more noise. The large man came in, holding another soft skin. You were surprised to see him in an elegant sky blue yukata with outlines of clouds embroidered in white and a dark blue hakama. For some reason, you hadn’t thought of him in anything else except his armor and the white fur cloak and his dusky skin and brilliant white hair was even more striking against the cool colors.

“You are still awake?” He seemed a bit surprised. “You should be resting.”

“What are you doing?” your voice quivered.

He turned and slid a heavy lock into the door, clicking it shut. Then he turned to you. “I am coming to sleep, to rest.” He shot you a strangely uncertain look, then his face split into a smile. “Are you eager for me to share the nest with you?”

You turned red and shook your head. “I was...just thinking.”

He nodded slowly and walked over next to the mattress. “We will sleep tonight.” He stretched out on one side of the mattress and you were bemused to see that he did not touch you more than a brush here or there. “Tomorrow will be tiring for you, so rest now.”

You shook your head nervously. “I...I’m not tired.”

He pulled himself up to lean on one elbow. “Koibito, if you are not tired, we can certainly fill your time and spend your energies....”

You turned red and flopped down on the mattress. He merely hummed and turned his back to you. You were curling up tightly, wriggling to stay tucked under the skins and blanket, when he leaned against your back. You gasped indignantly and slid further away in a huff. “Stick to your own side.”

He said nothing, only sighed and laid there. You were stiff, though, repeatedly jerking as your weary body tried to lay against his. Finally he whispered, “If you do that again, I will decide that you actually are eager for me to claim you again.” 

You gasped again, pulling your feet under the skin again. He chuckled as you curled up in a nervous ball. There just wasn’t enough room though and you resigned yourself to laying back to back with him. Still, you twitched nervously, trying not to touch him more than necessary.

He sighed patiently as you twitched and turned yet again. With a heavy sigh, he whispered, “You need not fear me, koibito. You have not pushed me to drugging you just yet.”

“WHAT?!”

He laughed bitterly. “No, koibito. I am not going to drug you.” You squeaked timidly. Your mind spun, wondering what he might drug you with and every one you thought of scared you more. He shifted against you and his voice went soft and almost wistful. “I will not do that unless there is no other option to save your life.”

“B-b-b-but—what—?! Where did that even come from?” You whipped around to face his broad back. “What kind of person thinks of drugging someone else?”

You watched his shoulders sag and he seemed to sink away from you on the mattress. Finally, he gave you a low reply. “I....apologize for that.” There was another long sigh. “It was supposed to be a bit of a joke.” His shoulders shook silently. “I am not...good at humor.

“It is not something I do often—making jokes. I apologize if it upset you.” His head twisted to give you a golden glance over his shoulder. “I suppose that I should admit that I have...in the past. It was a...long time ago.”

He rolled over to face you. Inexplicably, he had a bit of an ashen tone in his skin that seemed sickly against the spots of color on his chiseled cheekbones. One hand came up to your shocked face and you flinched away. Immediately, he dropped his hand. “I was not a good man before I came here. I did things—terrible things—to others. I do regret them, and I will not do anything to cause you harm.”

“What happened?” you whispered in the shocked voice usually reserved for asking about ghost stories or details about a crime scene. “What did you—?”

“I was a terrible man,” he nodded solemnly. “I did things—some of which I can not tell you. I cannot change the past, but I will promise you that I am much changed. I will never harm you or any of those you hold dear.”

“You—!”

“I claimed you,” he nodded sadly. “It was a...painful necessity and I apologize for that.” His eyes seemed drowning in silent sorrow. “If Jesse or another wolf had found you, my claim would have been evident.”

“Would it have stopped them from doing—?”

“It would have, firstly, told them that you were claimed. My reputation is not...inconsiderable.” You shuddered anxiously. “And you would have been unable to be claimed until after the full moon.”

You stared up at him in stunned shock. “Claimed—like a piece of property?”

“More dear to me than any land or title or wealth or honor,” he grinned lamely. “I will move heaven and earth to be make sure you are safe and well.”

“Will you—?”

“I will only ask you to...judge me as I am now. Please, judge me as you have seen me, as I have treated you rather than my past.” He sighed and glanced as though he suddenly found your elbows fascinating. “My past has given me many skills that I can use to help you, help others. I believe that I can help your family as well. I believe that you were led here, that I was led here for us to meet and for me to help you...and your family.”

You didn’t dare twitch as he looked at you. What was there to say in reply—to any of that? “What is...? I-I-I—?”

“Of course, you are...probably tired. Weary. Sleep and rest will help you recover and to feel better.” He did offer you a thin, wistful look. “I apologize...again...for keeping you awake.”

“You’re sleeping here?”

“I will not pressure you. I will not hurt you or harm you.” He shrugged and rolled to give you his back. “I will only sleep, if you wish.”

So, reluctantly, you stilled next to him, laying with your back against his muscled warmth. It was comforting to feel the huge bulk, rather than your sister’s pointy joints. He was quiet, too, rather than your father’s loud snores. Now things were quiet and warm and comfortable. His scent was comfortably musky like deep summer forests on good hot afternoons.

You were surprised the next morning, to find that you had both rolled during the night. He had turned to you and you were curled in his arms with your head cradled on his arm. His other arm was right around your waist. The skins were spread over you both and the blankets were peculiarly tangled around you both, comforting and snug. When you woke in the night, once or twice, he would hold you closer, whispering softly and soothingly in your ears.

The next morning, you both woke up. Already you had no feeling of the passage of time, no idea of how late in the day it was. Only that you woke up when you were both rested. He led you to the shower, had you shower and then when you stepped out, he had a towel and an outfit for you. You slid into the clothes—obviously a spare set of his clothes—and were instantly warm. He helped you slide into some boots, using a bunch of leather thongs to tighten them around your legs. He laid a thick skin over your shoulders and back, helping you settle it comfortably and warmly. Finally, he smiled and nodded, leading you up the ladder. He wrapped his hand in a long piece of leather with dried blood on it and slid aside two pieces of glass. You both crawled out into the blinding snow and he put the glass back behind you both and took a pine branch to sweep the snow back over it all.

“We will have to hurry,” he muttered softly, tugging the skin closer around you. “We will follow the uphill path.” He pointed at the uneven lumps of snow. You certainly couldn’t see a path there and looked at him nervously. “Since it is uphill, we will be able to drag the branches down more easily.” He pointed to a dark smudge on the horizon at the end of the valley. “We have to hurry—another storm is coming.”

He pulled a thin, silk rope and a small pick from one of his pouches. Tying you both together, he led you among the lumps of snow to slowly scale the side of the mountain. You were relieved to be out of the cave—even though the cold burned your lungs and your muscles trembled as you waded through the snow.

“Is it much farther?” you asked as you looked over the expanse of trees as they marched down the uneven terrain. It was beautiful enough, but obviously treacherous with gaping maws of sheer cliff faces as the paths and crannies would drop straight down tens of feet. He grunted and paused. “I mean...we’re in the trees now.”

He shook his head. “A little further.”

You set out an impatient sound and stomped your foot. Your mouth was open to snap at him sarcastically but the snow underfoot shifted and gave way. You yelped, your body crumpling as the ground seemed to rumble and start sliding downhill. Your hands flailed, scrabbling to try to grip anything as you slid away from him. The dirt and snow ground against you as you slid uncontrollably away.

Your body actually slid away so quickly, you shot off the narrow ridge before falling straight down. The big man hissed and cursed softly and you heard a thud. Suddenly, you felt the rope around your waist jerk hard enough that you lost your breath. Dizzily you swung back and forth, your shoulders hitting the rocky face of the mountain. Coughing and gasping, you tangled your fingers in the rope helplessly. You were frightened for a few minutes until you heard him muttering above you. Slowly, you rose a few inches, then a few more.

Gradually, you were high enough to scramble to the top of the ridge. He puffed as he pulled again, his feet braced on a thick tree and a rock. He kept pulling, dragging you up to the ridge. Your hands shook as he took them and got you back to your feet. You whined a bit, leaning against him as your whole body shook.

He wrapped a heavy, warm arm around you as you stood there. “Are you injured?” You tested putting your weight on your sore ankle. It wasn’t so bad that you couldn’t walk and your pride ached. You curled up against him and felt immediately happy with his surrounding warmth. “Do I need to carry you back and keep you back in the den?”

You tested your ankle again. Finally, you shook your head. “I-i-it’s...nor...no—it’s fine.”

He looked at you closely, scowling beneath the wolf skin. “We still need to expand the nest.” He pointed towards the dark smudge that seemed larger and darker on the horizon. “We will be there and back soon and the next storm will cover our tracks.”

“That’s just a little tiny cloud, isn’t it?”

“It is coming towards us rapidly and will overtake us.” His eyes examined the horizon. “If you cannot walk, then we will try again later.”

“N-n-n-no,” you burbled. “I’m fine.”

Hanzo nodded solemnly and went even slower as he led you just a little further up. There was a tiny group of very young trees that bordered a thick stand of bamboo. He cut two poles of bamboo with his hatchet. A few chops near the top of the poles formed notches and he slid the two crude notches on top of each other and tied them with a thin piece of cord to form a sort of narrow ‘V’.

He handed you another length of cord and pointed to the legs of the ‘V’. “Tie the ends together just a little tighter than they are now, then wrapped the cord back and forth between the legs to form a sort of net.”

You stared at the cord blankly. “Uhh...what if I don’t do it right?”

He shrugged slightly. “You can’t do it wrong as long as you don’t cut the cord. Just form a web so that the branches can rest on it.” You began to weave the cord back and forth as he watched the first few passes. “Good.”

Your hands were almost numb as you slid the cord back and forth. He stomped around, half climbing the trees and yanking tiny twigs and cutting small, flexible branches off to stack them in a pile. As soon as you were done, he gave you an approving grunt and helped you tie off the cord.

“Good.” You flushed with pleasure, right up until he pointed at the small pile of twigs. “Now, start collecting small bits like these. The more green needles and the more flexible the branch, the better.”

“But—what are you going to do?”

He showed you the hatchet. “There are cedar trees further into the woods. I’m going to get some of those branches.” He smirked at your look of confusion. “The cedar will form the base. It is fragrant and will help prevent bugs.”

You nodded uncertainly and he disappeared into the woods. Idly, you picked up his pile of branches. You plucked the low branches, picked up small branches with lots of needles. At first, you didn’t see it, but it made sense once you had a good stack of them on the makeshift cart. The pile was almost airy and fragrant and when you pressed down on it, the pile was almost soft.

Hanzo came through with smaller branches of cedar, stacking them around your twigs on your makeshift net. The fresh cedar was sharp and distinctive. You could easily believe that bugs would avoid it, as the branches were stacked. You became restive as you grabbed what you could and kept stacking it. The next time that Hanzo came through, he gave you his gloves, which made your work even faster as you kept stacking.

He came back with a branch, smirking at you. “You are doing well.” You flushed, relieved when he looked up anxiously, rather than staring at you. “But we will have to just make this a good start.”

You glanced up and saw the clouds gathering overhead. The winds were picking up and it was getting colder. Hanzo steadied the stack and jerked his head down the path. “We will have to hurry.” He gave you a bit of a smug smile. “As I told you, the storm is headed towards us quickly. We will head back and be thankful for what we have gotten done so far.”

You nodded and were eager to get tied to him again after your near miss coming up. You both staggered down the uneven path to the crevice, dragging the strange sled of branches behind you. Small, fluffy flakes began swirling around in the sky as you both stopped. With spare and jerky movements, he beckoned you forward.

“Can you smell that?” he whispered. You frowned and looked around, breathing deeply, but there was nothing that you could tell. You shook your head and peered at him. “We need to be cautious.”

He dug out a bit more of the snow and pulled aside the large shards of glass to allow the load to pass. He helped you slide inside and then helped you get the clumsy pallet inside. You both drug the pallet towards the bedroom. You could get one of the poles into the bedroom cave—you refused to call it a “nest” just yet—but the other was simply too long. Finally, he chopped off a few inches off of the end and you both jammed it into the room. He set them down about five feet apart and pointed at them.

“Start with the cedar branches, then the smaller branches. Wait for me to return and I will have two more branches for the bottom.” He shrugged. “I will secure the entrance as well.”

You sighed and began to drag the branches to the frame. The bamboo poles kept rolling as you set them down. You growled and rolled them back, only to have them roll away again. “Oh, come on!” You cursed as they kept rolling. “Just stay put!”

“Get a rock.” Hanzo’s voice came from behind you. “Or we can tie it.” You jumped in surprise. He stood there with two heavy branches behind him. He grinned roguishly. “Should I get you some string?”

You flushed as he left, staring at the heavy branches. He returned a moment later with a spool of string. You both tied the bamboo so that it wouldn’t keep rolling. Then you set the cedar branches on the bottom. He helped you arrange them and then drug the larger branches on top. You giggled as the pine twigs formed almost a bubble in the middle of the makeshift frame. He chuckled softly as well, and you both tossed the small branches and boughs on top.

“That will be a good start,” he nodded. “We can keep adding branches as it flattens and it will stay comfortable.”

You sighed wearily. It certainly felt like more than a good start—it felt like a huge accomplishment. When he tossed a skin over it, it even looked like a bed. He grinned at your weary sound and picked you up. You whimpered softly but couldn’t manage to do anything to stop him as he swung you around. He grinned down at you and settled you down in the middle. The branches creaked softly and let out a breath of evergreen as you laid down in the surprisingly comfortable pile.

“It is going to only become more comfortable as we keep adding to it.” He gestured towards the room. “We can also make it as large as we need.” He smiled at your shocked face. “Wolves all nest together. So our children will be sleeping here together with us until they are ready to go their own ways.”

“Chil-child...no, you don’t. I mean...not children!”

“Why not?” He shrugged with a cocky smirk. “It’s bound to happen eventually.”

The next few days were filled with snowstorms. It seemed like he could barely dig out the one window crevice before the snow filled it again. Whenever he brought you up to the platform, you could barely see anything through the thick fog and whiteout snow. There was no chance you could escape him in this weather—not when you could barely see the hand in front of your face when you stuck your arm out and watched the flakes settle on it.

It was a quiet and peaceful time mainly because there was nothing you else you could do except wait out the storm. In the enforced idle time, he began teaching you a variety of survival skills—knots, sharpening knives, cooking with the limited kitchen, finishing the deer skin. He gave you a spare yukata and hakama and haori, helping you trim it down to your size and sew the seams. You might never do any of this again, but for now it filled the endless hours.

He was a surprisingly good teacher, too. He had traveled the world and had stories to tell from every country. He had seen street fights in Japan and China. He had been to sacred temples in Nepal. He had drinks in London taverns and Irish pubs. He had been in Russia and America. He had even held koalas and seen penguins and gone everywhere. In between lessons on survival, you learned some origami, how to properly pour tea, and he even began teaching you the complicated Hiragana and Katakana calligraphy.

You stared up at the crevice in boredom. You had completed the moon and wolf puzzle and had started a new one with sunflowers and kites flying above them in a clear blue sky. You had already played gin to 10,000 points, as well as go-fish, old maid, and what was apparently an endless series of variations of poker. Boredom was an unfortunate companion as you were trapped longer and longer.

“When will it just stop snowing?!” you growled, staring at the crevice. “It’s been snowing for days.”

He nodded, humming as he fit in a patch of sunflowers into the frame. You growled again, pouting at him. He looked up, staring at you thoughtfully. “You are getting restless.”

“No kidding,” you muttered sourly.

“The storm will break tonight or tomorrow,” he said, picking up another piece to slide it into place. “I will then be able to hunt.” He shrugged thoughtfully and watched you with a golden gaze through his thick white lashes. “Contrary to what you’ve had so far, we have a wide variety of animals to hunt—hares, badgers, fox, deer, pheasant, boar. When we have a good cache of skins, we can eventually go down and sell the rest. There is even a bounty on deer in some of the surrounding areas.”

You blinked in confusion. “What?”

“There is a variety of animals. We can sell the skins and collect the bounties.” He looked at you and explained patiently. “Money paid to help control the population of deer and other pests that would harm nearby farms. Is that so confusing?”

“N-n-no,” you whispered with a flush on your cheeks.

“Then we can work together on this,” he said. You let out a grumpy sound and he grinned at you. “You are getting restless.” He shrugged, sitting up straighter to watch you closely. “The full moon is getting closer and you are naturally feeling more energized. I am feeling it, too, hime.” You flushed and turned to stare down at the pieces depicting pink butterfly kite with the long tail fluttering behind it. “My rut is undoubtedly going to make it worse until we finally have the full moon.”

“Your...rut?”

He took in your ashen face and shocked question. Very slowly and quietly he said, “Yes. My rut.” He moved very slowly and covered one of your hands with his own. “While we can...enjoy each other’s company at any time, we will be most...ahh...fertile at certain times.” Your cheeks went red despite your white face and he squeezed your hand gently. “I will go through a rut and you will be in a complementary...heat—.”

“What?!” You blinked nervously, pulling back with a shake that sent pieces bouncing to the floor. “A...what?!”

“A heat,” he whispered as if a low voice would make the subject less uncomfortable. “It is the time that you are going to be most fertile.” He cocked his head. “We...will be a bonded pair—mates—and our cycles will peak at around the same time. It will be better for us as a bonded pair—you need not worry about me abandoning you.”

“Bonded?” You yanked your hand away. “Mates? Heat?!” Your head pounded suddenly and you turned away. “What are you doing to me?!”

He sighed patiently, sliding the pieces and puzzle aside. “I have told you that you are my chosen mate.” He watched you as you wove slightly. “You have been here, with me and beside me.” He shrugged. “I have not wanted to press you—.”

“You...you fucking r-r-raped....” Your cheeks flamed and you pounded the table. “You bastard—!”

“I claimed you,” he interrupted angrily. “I claimed you so that no one else would try to.” He shot to his feet and loomed over you with a move that made his muscles ripple. “With Jesse in the valley and the full wolf’s moon so close, I felt I had no choice except to claim you.”

You gaped at him. “What?!”

“I have already told you—he is what you call a werewolf.” Hanzo shrugged and shoved the puzzle off the table entirely. You gasped as the pieces shattered apart. “He will be under the same influences as I.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at you. “He is also about twice my size and has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Would you rather be his mate?!” You swallowed heavily and timidly shook your head. “My claim would deter him only for a brief period of time—until the full of the moon—and then you would be at his mercy instead.”

“N-n-no....” You were shaking uncontrollably now. “I...I just wanted to...get help for my family.”

He snarled with a careless shrug. “And you have no idea whether or not he would give you that help.” His fist hit the metal table with a clanging sound. “Yes, you are scared and you are trying to adjust. I will try to help you as we hit our first cycle together.”

You gaped at him, shivering. This was far too much for you to process and the world tilted. You did not even know of this “Jesse” and he sounded terrible. You glanced up at Hanzo nervously trying to imagine what someone twice his size would look like, sound like. He would be immense, but would he be as terrifying and as bitter as well?

“I will....” You tried to think. “I will do what you say...?”

He nodded with a sour look over his shoulder and as he began to pick up pieces. “We will have a peaceful union, then.”

Your bottom lip poked out mutinously as he turned back to the puzzle. He was annoying like that—going on and on about how you two were destined to be together and the full moon and things before simply dropping into silence and going on with what he was doing. It was making you crazy and you couldn’t tell if it was because you were being drawn into this lunacy or if it was because he was sure you would be. Either way, it did not make the extended confinement easier.

You finally finished picking up the puzzle and asked, “So where was home?”

That perked his ears and he looked up at you in surprise. “What?”

“Where was home?” you asked again. “Or were you born in this cave?”

He looked around for a moment and then shrugged. “Hardly. But where I came from has no bearing now. I find it better to be here, rather than there.”

You tried not to shriek at him, tried to talk to him rationally. “Why?”

He propped his chin on his hand and gave you a half-smile. “I am far more content being here. It is an improvement from where I came from. I have a good life and now a mate.”

You shuddered a little, but this was apparently one of the few times he was willing to talk. “And...why weren’t you content before? Was this...Jesse a reason why you left...wherever it was?”

He flushed a little and then gave a stiff nod. “I suppose you could see it from that point of view.” He slid a few pieces into place. “Truthfully, it is a complex combination of things. Or ‘was’.” He reached to touch your hand and seemed pleased when you didn’t draw back and instead let him stroke your skin. “I have told you some things—that I had been injured in a fight. After I received enlightenment, I left it all behind and came here.” He shrugged. “I have been redeemed after a fashion, even if it is not...exactly what I thought.”

“But did Jesse...?”

“Jesse,” he sighed. “Jesse was...at one point, a comrade. A friend.”

“A friend?!”

“We were comrades in arms. Blood brothers.” He looked thoughtfully down. “Closer than my real brother and I were at times.”

That shook you. There was another freak like him out there somewhere? “Brother?”

He nodded. “It was another lifetime. I...fought my brother. We always fought and my father encouraged it. He said that we would be stronger for it. But then when, we fought for real, neither of us were truly prepared for it.”

“What happened?”

“I... killed him.” His golden eyes were anguished for a moment. “I thought I had, anyway. I thought I had lost my brother. The half of my soul that was in the light.” A pause. “And I found a decade later that I had not lost him after all.”

“That doesn’t make sense....”

He actually laughed. “That is what I thought at the time. But he was only...mostly dead, I suppose. When I saw him again after he had recovered, I was crazed with relief and anger. I did not know what I wanted to do first—embrace him or run him through. He had forgiven me—had found his peace and contentment—but I could not forgive myself.

“At sunrise the next day, I had gone as far as I could on foot and he found me anyway. I followed him, thought that I could do some good. But I was never good enough.” Your face must have looked shocked. “How could I be, when he was so advanced? He was like a phoenix that had risen from his ashes to become better, stronger. And now, there was no contest. It was no longer a matter of only an old man’s favoritism—it was a fact that his...enhancements made him so superior to me.

“It was only a matter of time before I died. We were constantly on the move from base to base, from fight to fight. Most everyone was enhanced in one way or another and the mere humans were only cannon fodder for the fight. And, as I laid there and realized that I was barely a killing machine, I decided to leave. Let the others fight and die for whatever beliefs that they were trying to uphold—I needed to leave.

“So, it was a relief to be blessed, to be told that I needed to be here. It is a relief to be alone and at peace here in the valley. The rhythms of nature have restored me, made me strong and healed me. I am not fighting for mindless beliefs and anonymous orders. I am not killing others, making life and death choices in split seconds without knowing what is the right thing to do.”

“It sounds terrible,” you whispered.

He looked at the piece in his hand. “I suppose it was. But it also is my journey here. I would not have made it here if I had not stumbled and fallen. Nothing good is without cost.”

“And Jesse fought with you?”

He nodded. “Jesse was one of the few that did not seem to have a problem with me.” Hanzo smirked. “Most everyone was against me at the start. My brother has always had a gift with being charming enough to get anyone to his side and he had known those people for a decade before I even met them. At least Jesse was willing to give me half a chance.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Jesse was always in trouble. He was wanted in multiple states of the U.S., had been banned from casinos as far as Hong Kong and Monte Carlo, and had a mouth that would get him in trouble so quickly. I did not think that we would become close, but we did. And that last fight, he was the one who found me. But the blood—my blood—called to him and he grew into his wolf form.

“He left me on the street. Even now, I do not know if he was simply overcome, or if he was going to get help. I did not know and I did not care. I had enough of fighting at any rate and I had no choice between dying from my wounds or dying from him. Or from any of the others who did not want me there.” He looked at you. “As you can imagine, it is a tremendous relief to be here instead.”

“Oh.”

He looked up at you with a kindly expression. “It is not a terrible thing, to leave a violent and blood soaked life behind.”

“But...you left your brother, too. What about you mother and father? Do they know where you are?”

He shook his head, his eyes growing cold. “No...they are long dead and past caring where I am or what I am doing.”

You looked down at your joined hands. “My father and sisters must be going crazy by now.”

He shrugged. “It will get better.” He shrugged a little, a bit of color on his cheeks. “We will help them and they will have the farm again. It will help them if they think that you are...with someone else. With me.”

That took your breath away. “What? You...you want me to say we’re...married?”

He shrugged. “We will—as much as it pains me to say it—be cats.”

“Be cats?!” Your head swum. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Grinning lamely, he explained, “We will be cats. A cat does not linger when it is not welcome. A cat can make up its mind in a moment whether it likes you or not, but can always find a way to settle into a home if it wishes. We will be cats—appearing to reassure them that you are well, but will be mostly far away, giving them a purr or two so that they are satisfied that you are happy and taken care of, and then walking out with a vague promise or two that we will be back later.

“Your father will undoubtedly be satisfied if he thinks you are happy and content and taken care of. He loves you and whether you choose to be a worker or to settle down with a family, he will still love you. He will see that you have a smile on your face, that you are warm, that you have food and what you need. It will likely make him happier still to see that you have a compatible, strong protector and he will likely be overjoyed if you have children on the way. Then he is satisfied that his daughter, despite moving away, is doing well and is happy, then he will be able to relax and your sisters will be able to concentrate on moving on as well.”

You grunted and shot him a sour look, “And then we melt away and never see them again?”

He laughed, his eyes lighting up with humor. “Of course not. I am hardly a monster! We will see them as we can, with the children, and make sure that they continue to know you are well.” One rough finger traced the back of your hand lightly. “They are not going to be content if you vanish from the face of the earth and then you will not be content. I do not want you to be unhappy, hime.”

You nodded slowly. “He won’t be happy to have me in a cave.”

“He will be happy if you are happy,” Hanzo insisted. “And a cat—even a beloved house cat—does not tell where it is prowling, but no one worries about if it is happy or coming back.”

“Does your brother worry?”

“Genji....” Hanzo sat back thoughtfully. “If he thinks about me at all, I suppose he does spare me a thought or two, but, no, I do not think he worries about me. At best, he has informed the commanders and I have been declared absent or missing.” His golden glance shot to you and then down at the puzzle again. “And things are undoubtedly better without me there to remind him of our past.”

You groaned and nodded. Without another word, he turned back to the puzzle and handed you a few more pieces. The puzzle made you think without worrying as you assembled the picture. You really wanted a few more puzzles, though. A little bit more to do wouldn’t hurt and there seemed to be plenty that could be done to make this comfortable. You shivered and your mind turned toward random things—baking some bread, making a large quilt to cover the wide pile of the nest, knitting some small blankets and maybe a few caps or a long scarf or two. With the high overhead lights, perhaps you could even bring in some clay pots that could hold some things like potatoes or something in a sort of indoor garden. None of those things could be that hard, could they? Your hands shook as you abruptly woke up from your train of thought. What were you thinking? Why were you even thinking about this kind of useless stuff?!

Hanzo noticed your sudden jerk and anxious shaking immediately, his hands carefully placing the piece he was holding and then went to hold your hands again. He said nothing, just watched you as your shivers ran through you. You could barely think about anything but the shock that you were even thinking about staying, about what to do here. You weren’t a very home-bound person anyway—so why would you even think like that?

“S-s-s-sorry,” you mumbled. “I....”

“What happened?”

“I suppose a goose walked over my grave,” you mumbled foolishly. “I...I just kind of.... I don’t know. My brain went sideways.” You turned red as he kept looking at you. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to deal with this.”

“Slowly,” he whispered. “One step at a time.”

You nodded uncertainly. “I don’t know what came over me.”

He shrugged and went back to the puzzle. After he slid a few more pieces, he murmured, “It will not always be easy, but our way will become clearer as we travel it.”

“And you want children, too?!” You shivered as your voice went shrill. “And we’re already in one bedroom and one room to do stuff. One tiny kitchen. What are we supposed to do?”

He stared at you blankly in plain shock. “I...I—had not thought—.”

You growled at him and whirled around backwards to stalk around the room. Hanzo did not stop you, instead sat and stared at the half-finished puzzle. He gave you time and space to pace, room to think. That made you feel better, that he was able to give you a bit of space and time to just be alone. And as you glanced through your lashes, you saw him staring thoughtfully beyond the puzzle.

After some timeless period of pacing, you felt better. You went back to the puzzle, staring at the scattered pieces. You weren’t interested in doing any more of it, but it felt good to have silent company at least. Another silent time later, you whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“I...I, too, apologize,” he whispered back with his cheeks turning red. “I had thought that we were prepared, but I now see what we have work to do.”

You shook, your face pale. His apology was completely unexpected. “I...I am....”

“You are right,” he smiled. “We will need a few things, need to make a few changes, but I do not find them insurmountable.” His head dipped into a solemn nod. “I am glad that you have thought this out so thoroughly. It will be hard—especially since it will be your first year in the mountain—but I am not going to let you do this alone.”

“What if I can’t do it? What if...if I can’t have kids or I can’t do it?”

He sighed and nodded again. “I will do what I can to help. But I believe you are stronger than you think. More clever than you think.” He shrugged. “You are my mate and no matter what you...think are your failings, I believe in you and I think you will succeed.” He stared at you, frowning and thinking. “And if it is not our fate to have children, then I will adore you just the same.”

You gave him a watery smile and a nod. It felt like he really cared, really wanted you to succeed. “Th-thanks.”

Somehow the next few days passed. He slunk out during early the next morning, bringing home fresh food and eggs and such (from somewhere, though it was hard to picture the speed to get to the village and back in one day), and then stayed up, watching the hole you alternately called the window or the hole or the exit. When he finally came to bed, he was almost frigidly cold as he crawled in. You would whimper and shove all the blankets over him and then, in the night, you both would curl together on the mattress in a warm ball. When you would rise, whenever that was, you would be almost reluctant to move from your warm nest and start it all over again.

One night you scrambled to the hole and stared out at the snowy landscape. A dot of a distant fire was like a tiny orange laser point down in the middle of the valley. You leaned against his warm bulk, wrapped in soft and pliable skins that were a warm cloak around you. The orange point flickered and you thought, for a moment, you heard a soft shout as if it was from a distant crier.

Hanzo’s warm, muscular arm wrapped around you. “Did you hear him?”

“I heard...something,” you admitted shyly. “I don’t know what.”

“You are growing,” he murmured against the back of your neck. “In time, you will hear everything in the valley.” He chuckled wryly. “It will be a bit overwhelming at first, but you will be fine in time.”

“What is he saying?”

“He is calling to me,” Hanzo whispered.

“What if you went to see him?”

He shrugged absently. “In another time, I would have met him. We might have spoken at length about the past, but that is no longer where I am. He would only want me to return with him, go back to my old life.” His head dipped to nuzzle your ear. “But now I will not leave my mate unprotected.”

“I want to...to do something.” You shifted around restlessly. “I’m...going crazy in here.”

“And I do not want you unprotected or wandering around in the snow.” He stared at the valley. “Especially not with him here.”

“Yeah-yeah. A competing wolf and all that.” You sighed, your breath coming out in smoky puffs. “But I’m still bored. When will this be done and we can...do stuff?”

“The moon is almost full,” he whispered. “It will not be long.”

You nodded slowly. “I suppose.”

“What would you want to do?” He cocked his head thoughtfully and one pointed ear of the wolf head flopped down as the other stayed up. “Perhaps there is something in the temple below us that we can use to make this more comfortable.”

You nodded slowly. The original thought of the temple below was exciting, but you knew he wouldn’t want you to go with him. “Could we go uphill instead?”

“Uphill?” He kept staring at the orange dot. “I suppose if we need to and if we stick to the trees to diffuse your scent....”

You were suddenly filled with excitement, bouncing on your toes and whirling to face him. “Really? I can go with you?”

He nodded with a slow smile, finally distracted from the orange dot in the valley. “We will go into the woods, then, if it will make you happy.”

You squealed happily and wrapped your arms around his neck. “This is going to be awesome!” He laughed a little. “I can’t wait.”

You didn’t move from his post for hours, standing next to him as he watched over the valley. When he finally tired, you almost danced as he pulled you to the bed. You were exhausted—surprisingly—and fell into the bed with him. You dreamed of woods and walking in the sunlight and running in the open all night and woke early the next morning.

“Come on!” You nudged the sleeping man. “It’s time to get up.”

He groaned and rolled over so that you could see the yellow tattoo on his shoulder as he snuggled into the nest again. It was beautiful in its swirling lines against his skin. “Is it time already?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” You shoved his shoulder again. “Come on—wake up.” You shoved him hard again. “You said that we could rise when we were rested. It’s time to get up.”

He gave you a theatrical groan and finally sat up with a grin. “I suppose we can leave now.”


	7. Chapter 7

You were dressed in record time and you both gulped down a quick breakfast of tea and dried deer jerky before he led you up the path. You were more careful this time as you followed him. This time, you were careful to step where he stepped, exactly as he did. It was a much safer trip even if the snow was much deeper. This time he led you into the woods, where the trees were close and tall and straight and seemed dipped in sugar colored ice.

Surprisingly, you saw many different animals in the woods—pheasants, sparrows, a tawny hawk, rabbits, and more. There was even a few deer that darted away in graceful leaps when you got closer. A grey raccoon padded past after giving you a curious sniff and then whirling his striped tail he darted nimbly under a snow-covered bush leaving thin, small hand-shaped prints behind. The cold, crisp air burned your lungs as you tramped through the deep snow.

“Keep up,” he called over his shoulder with a grin. “I have something to show you.”

“Okay,” you replied, staring at some deep prints in the snow. “But where are we going?”

“Keep up.”

The snowy forest was almost alien in its overly bright beauty. He kept wading through the snow, apparently unbothered by the cold, and he pushed aside the snow for you to pass. He would point out things to you and tell you about the animals you saw. It seemed very benign and peaceful to be in the woods like this, with him guarding you.

And there was no mistaking that he was guarding you. He carried his immense bow and quiver with him, occasionally pulling it and aiming as things leapt out of the brush. He didn’t trust anything—especially anything that rustled in the woods where he couldn’t immediately see it. The poor raccoon almost got shot, despite its animalistic nonchalance.

He smirked a bit as he pulled you to one side, pointing beyond a thick stand of gnarled trees. “Come along,” he murmured. “You’ll like this now, but it will be better when it’s spring and summer.”

You staggered after him, dodging the trees and slogging through the snow. He pushed aside a bush, and smirked as you kept walking. The woods opened up to a high, small lake with a mountain waterfall overhead. In these winter days, the high waterfall was filled with towering columns of ice in spikes down to the grey-white lake.

“Oh, wow,” you gasped as you stared at the waterfall. “It’s like it’s frozen in time.”

The archer nodded as you slid forward a little in the deep snow and stood next to him. “It will be even better in the summer. We can go swimming and there is a tiny population of fish. Occasionally I see a turtle.” He shrugged. “The water is safe—I test it every year when it thaws. As far as I can tell from the property records, when they closed the mine and began to restore the land for the wolves, they sealed the mines and redirected the underground water line to become a surface river and then this pool, which flows downhill and becomes several streams through the woods in the summer, where the deer and game gather.”

He smirked as you peered at the frozen lake in your wide-eyed curiosity. Is there anything more silent than the snowy woods? You had never been surrounded by such black and white frozen purity. Yet, the entire forest was alive with tiny sounds, soft rustles and the occasional chirp and little tiny cracks and snaps. It was completely alive, throbbing with life and movement that made your head snap as you tried to take it all in.

You listened in silence to the sounds and relished the feel of the woods. It made you feel almost animalistic yourself which translated into a burst of mischief as if you had become a squirrel or some other kind of energetic woodland creature. And there was snow all around that crunched all around and practically invited play.

Hanzo looked up at the falls, tapping a stick on the flat stones that led behind the waterfall. It would be good to lead you there some summer day, where he could show you the rainbows when the sun hit the flowing water. It would be a treat for you and the pups could swim in the pond and splash around. He could practically see them now, with you in the shallows with the children paddling around and splashing.

It reminded him of his own youth, playing with his brother in the water during the blazing days of the summer. He loved playing in rivers or in pools or lakes. Hanamura had a small tributary river running through a corner of the estate that led to a large lake and his family had spent many happy hours splashing around in relief from the heat. He looked forward to every summer when he could finally pull off his school uniform or his business suit and leap into the cool water. Now his own family would enjoy the cool waters and the waterfall. Nostalgia crept up around him far deeper than the snow around his ankles.

Then he felt the snowball hit his shoulder.

You saw him smirk as he turned to stare at you, his snow covered shoulder, then you again and carefully put aside the bow and quiver. Then, with unending calm, he bent and scooped up some snow in his huge hands. You smiled and scrambled back along the bank as he glanced up at you. He carefully packed it, shaped it into a round, almost perfect sphere.

“You need to be taught a lesson,” he murmured in a playfully predatory way.

The snowball hit you in the shoulder almost exactly where you hit him. As he bent to scoop some more snow together, you threw your next, hastily made snowball at him. It hit him hard right in his snowy white hair. Your laughing whoop filled the air, causing birds to scatter in the air. He darted around the trees and hid far more effectively than you, but you did manage to get your snowballs together a bit faster.

You would have bet that your sisters and father’s romps in the snow had taught you something about snowball fights. Unfortunately, you knew very little compared to him. He kept circling around, dodging behind rocks and around trees. So, you spun slowly around, throwing the snowballs as fast as you could manage to pack them. Then he leapt out of the trees, tackling you down on the bank and driving you into the snowy ground.

You rolled back and forth, snow packing on your clothes as you kept laughing. He ended up on top of you, his long white braid flopping down beside your head and the wolf head grinned down at you. His body was warm and strong on top of yours and suddenly laughing was the last thing you were thinking of.


	8. Chapter 8

He smiled down at you as your face went soft and wondering. His arms were so strong and were folded on each side of you as he rested on his elbows. You reached up to him, curious about him. How was he so warm, even now in the snow in the middle of winter? Yet, he was warm, hot, as you ran your fingers along his cheeks.

He was on his knees between your legs, his body arched over yours. Slowly, he lowered his face, his smile widening to a smooth smirk. He hadn’t counted on you pulling him down, your lips soft and pliable as a flower petal when you kissed him. Your body was so warm and soft, still somehow freshly fragrant even despite the walk and the winter and the clothes.

So soft. So warm and beautiful and fragrant.

The winter had washed away the forest smells and sounds until it was practically all white. That was how he thought of the winter forest scents—all white and pale blue-grey like the icy pond. Your scent was warm and soothing and he could only picture dancing gold when it filled him. But what he smelled now was different—flickering gold tinted and tipped with warm cadmium red—and was touched with what could only be arousal. It was like a sunset over the frost, gold and red washing away the white.

He sighed as he kissed you again and his breath flowed around you in a warm caress. You took a deep breath in return and you were shocked that it was so warm, so fragrant. A faint glossy smell of green tea, some of the dried deer jerky you ate for breakfast surrounded you, but then there was something else you smelled. The scent coming off of his dusky skin reminded you of petrichor, of the fluffy moss that grew on trees on truly timeless, deep forest. The smell comforted you, made you feel relaxed and at peace with the natural world around you.

His lips were as rough as his hands as they brushed over your face, down your neck. He purred softly as you spread your hands over his shoulders. You marveled at his warmth, his strength, as you stroked his skin. All over and all over and you whined when he pulled back.

“Come back to my nest, little one,” he smirked against your knuckles.

You whimpered at the loss of his heat and scent, nodding blindly. He scrambled up and helped you out of the snow. As he plucked up his bow and quiver, you stared at the deep trench you had both made in the snow. Somehow you had no memory of the cold, the snow and the ice—only of fire in your blood and a deep shade of moss green in your mind.

Climbing back down the mountain was somehow simple and easily accomplished—far more than you had thought. You ran after him, leaping through the snow and feeling stronger and more sure than ever. You were eager to be back as you chased him, eager to go in and be warm again and to get to the evergreen bed and to feel him against you.

He laughed heartily, glancing over his shoulder at you with a happy gleam in his eye. You leapt forward, your hand swinging forward just enough to smack his long braid. He leapt aside, sliding on the snow and slamming into a thin tree as his feet skidded in the packed snow. You laughed as the heavily laden branches shook and dumped snow all over his head and shoulders.

He laughed back as the snow sparkled on the white fur and over his clothes. Shaking wildly, he sent snow in a thousand directions which seemed so obviously canine you chuckled. “Come along then.”

Immediately, the race was on again as you both bolted. Neither of you played fairly, slinging hastily packed snowballs or jumping on each other or shoving each other into snowy drifts or against trees. Laughter bounced off the mountainside and flowed down to the valley as you finally got to the narrow path. From there, you both walked got back to the hole and ducked inside. 

“Hurry inside before you freeze,” he murmured. He moved the pieces of glass back, grinning to himself at the sight of two sets of prints clearly coming into the den. Then he caught a glimpse of you as you studied him. “You are happy?” he asked in a uncertain tone. “You are content?”

You were going to nod, but you suddenly caught sight of the pale moon in the afternoon sky. You shook nervously and suddenly you were freezing. It was strange that you had spent the afternoon romping in the snow and hadn’t noticed the cold, but now in the warmth of the cave you shook as you stared at the full moon.

It was just like he said, wasn’t it? That at the full moon, you would surrender or something like that? You had been ready to leave, ready to abandon this foolish quest and leave this insanity. And, sometime over the hours and days, as you had spent time with the brooding man, you had told yourself that you’d never submit. And now—now you were thinking of baking bread and making quilts and little baby things, and joining in his world of lunacy.

He paused, glancing at you and then the horizon. “It is the...the moon,” he whispered. At your numb nod, he said, “It is....”

You whimpered, tears running down your face. Your father had once told you that if you saw a full moon in the afternoon sky, it meant that luck was going to come to you. You had asked him if it was good luck or bad luck and he laughed, telling you that you couldn’t have a full life without both. So which was it now—good luck or bad luck?


	9. Chapter 9

He shoved snow over the ice pieces—even knocking some of the snow above the hole down to cover them in a natural looking drift. He glanced at the moon again, frowning. “It...it might not be quite full yet. Sometimes the angles and the thin air makes it appear fuller than it is.”

“You d-d-don’t know?”

“It does not usually matter to me,” he shrugged. “I have been alone and I have been on the mountain so much...I stopped paying attention to it.”

You nodded and scampered down the ladder to the shower. Peeling off the wet clothes, you stepped under the warm water. You couldn’t stop shaking and almost fell because your knees kept trying to give out. What the hell were you thinking? It had to be whatever that was—that—that syndrome that made kidnap victims fall in love with their captors. You had been thinking of weird stuff as if you were resigned to staying here forever.

But if you were to leave—what would happen to your family? He had promised to help, hadn’t he? He had said that he would. If you weren’t here, would he still help them? He...he.....

He was right behind you.

You whimpered and wiped your eyes. The mossy green color filled your mind again as he looked at you with solemn eyes. “You are...frightened.”

“What’s happening to me?!”

His hand came up and he started to reach for you, but he stopped, looking at your face. “You need not be afraid.”

“You...you are—. I am going crazy,” you wept. “I mean—I was sitting there, thinking about baking bread and that I wanted some yarn to make scarves and to make a big quilt and...and...and—. And what was I thinking?!”

He backed up, holding up his hands in a placating way. “It...it is a very....” His eyes looked golden and large and a bit anxious. “The wolf’s moon is a time of change and....” You cringed as his hand came up to brush a tendril of hair out of your face. He sighed and backed up, dropping his hands. “I will stand watch and be sure...no one disturbs us.”

“I want to go.... I want to leave and...and go home. I don’t want to be here and—and be a-a-a-a wolf. If y-y-y-you don’t want to take me, I-I-I want to go to Jesse and ask him to take me home.” You shuddered, your arms covering your body as you backed up with your back against the shower wall. “Please.... I want to go home. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not what you want. I’m sorry—I’m just n-n-not. I want to go home—.”

His eyes went dark and dull as you babbled and he silently brought you a towel and a haori coat to wrap up in. As soon as you came out and dried off, he brought out a soft skin and wrapped you up again so that you were even warmer. He said nothing as he brought you hot tea and led you to the nest. You whined softly, shaking as you sipped the hot drink.

He took the cup from your weak grip and gave you a solemn smile and a nod. “Would you like to take a nap?” When you started to shake your head, he looked away and added, “I will not be in here, so you will be undisturbed.”

That made you feel better and a nap sounded really good. The long climb through the snow and the enthusiastic play made you feel almost rubbery. But you couldn’t forget that pale moon on the horizon. It felt like the soft smiles and gentleness was melted with the snow to become a memory you weren’t sure you cherished or not. Your nerves clanged anxiously and you couldn’t quite settle on how you were supposed to feel. Perhaps he was right and a nap would be a good thing. The bed was fragrant and you were warm now, and he seemed sad rather than furious that you were begging him to let you leave.

You flopped down more to make your heart stop aching for him than anything else. He gave you an anxious smirk and tucked the skin closer around you before looking at the cup in his hand. For a moment, he stared at it. “Do you want something to help you sleep?”

“W-w-w-what?”

“Something to help you sleep,” he sighed again. “I do not have much, but there is valerian. Lavender. I even have some hops.” You stared at him blankly. “They are herbs and plants. The lavender does nothing for me personally, but the valerian will help.”

“Drugs?”

“Herbs.” He looked sadly at you and gestured lamely at your cup. “They can help with anxiety.”

You shook your head. “N-n-no. I...I don’t.... I don’t want anything.”

“Then I will let you sleep.” He went to the bend of the cave and paused to glance longingly at you before looking away in that solemn way. “I hope that you sleep well.”

You were alone in the bed-cave now and your ears rang with the silence. In the woods, there had been a comforting background of sound, but suddenly there was nothing. It felt like you were practically buried alive. The evergreen scent was comforting in a distant way, but it was strangely too green. Then there was the brown scent of rock and dust—a dark brown like the deep dark coffee. You reached out and shuffled around until you found a patch of mossy green scent and let it chase the other smells away.

You did manage to get some sleep after lot of tossing and turning. Your mind was jumbled around and seemed unable to stop churning through random splotches of colors that made no sense. You couldn’t even identify some of those colors or why you were seeing them. Your dreams were no better—tumbling through scenes of snow and waterfalls and endless woods that shot through sunrises and days and sunsets and nights like water through a funnel. The moon grew from a slender crescent to full to the opposite crescent in a single night and made everything blink in a strobe effect that made you dizzy.

You woke up in a cold sweat. The nest was huge and empty and you couldn’t bear the too-green smell of the evergreen branches another moment. The skin smelled strange as well and you practically could picture the color of the doe you were suddenly sure that it came from. Clamoring out, you wanted more...more of something. Maybe more tea. Maybe you’d take him up on the valerian or the lavender....

Strangely, the big room was empty and burning hot. You staggered to the kitchen area. Maybe instead of hot tea, you could get something cool. If nothing else, you could get some fresh snow and use that for ice. 

You were desperate for something cool. Something needed to cool you down. The first aid kit would help—there were fever reducers in it. You fumbled with the bottle, your eyes sharp but your fingers suddenly too sensitive to hold it. It dropped to the floor with an incredibly loud clatter that stung your ears.

Hell, you had caught something, hadn’t you?

Hanzo needed to help you. You were sick and it was his fault and he could dammit help you out now. You staggered back to the big room, fanning yourself. There was no other option to get help. You set the skin on the table and it helped a bit to be only in the traditional coat that went to your knees. Clambering up the ladder—it smelled rusty for God’s sake—and going to the hole, you looked for Hanzo.

The glass pieces were moved aside already.

You wanted to scream. The wind howled as it blew across the hole with a hollow tone and began tossing the snow into new drifts and new shapes as you watched. The wind and snow felt...amazing though. You were relieved to bury your hands in the snow and feel the ice. The wind whipped through your hair and you couldn’t resist shaking your head to make the fingers of breeze comb your scalp.

The moon hung in the air with a blinding brilliance and the snow sparkled almost white in its light. The stars seemed especially bright, too, in a way you hadn’t seen before. Another wind whistled and loose snow flakes sparkled like glitter in the air.

Where was Hanzo?

You couldn’t tell where the archer had gone. He wasn’t in the cave at all, and neither was the bow or quiver. What was going on now? Dammit—had he left you to fend for yourself? And when you were sick now. This was supposed to teach you to depend on him or to impress that you needed him?

You were still far too hot.

You could go just outside, couldn’t you? It wasn’t snowing and if you were in sight of the hole, you couldn’t get that lost. And besides, Hanzo would find you if you did—he always seemed to before. You pushed yourself out of the hole and into the snow, careful to avoid the glass.

The snow was just what your overheated body needed. You craved it and there didn’t seem to be any problem with rolling in it. Flakes stuck to your skin as you buried your hands and legs in a drift, making you look almost furry. You laughed at it, cherished it and the blinding white smell.

Run.

You couldn’t resist the call of your own soul. Perhaps there had been the same call inside Hanzo because you could clearly suddenly see the tracks he had left. You walked in his path up a ways and wondered if he had gone walking back to the pond, but it veered strangely in a sort of hairpin about twenty feet away. That was not the way to the woods—you could see the indents and dips in the snow from where you had come through this morning—but somewhere else.

You stood in the snow, dithering and trying to choose between following him to wherever he had gone and going back up to the woods. Another breeze blew over your skin and combed your hair wildly and carried the scent of woods to you. It wasn’t just the smell of pine and cedar and spruce, but a whole melody of smells that you weren’t be able to name just yet.

The woods.

You climbed up to the woods, wading through the snow. You were unexpectedly comfortable as you ran. You felt stronger and lighter on your feet, too. You got to a ridge and scrambled to the top. Your joy made you feel better still and your careful steps packed down the snow strangely. Perhaps it had frozen harder during the night and there was more ice on the top of the snow now and that was what made your steps so light and your prints so shallow?

Your feet couldn’t help but run now. You ran as hard as you could, dodging the trees and brush and suddenly confident that you could find your own way back when you were ready. Even if your footsteps were shallower now, you could still find your way back. You kept running, determined to keep going as far as you could. Surely the cold would make you feel better and you could find your way back, right?

Running was easy, so you ran. The ice and snow spun around in friendly ways, sparkling as you kept going. It wasn’t until you reached the icy pond that you stopped. Where were you supposed to go now? This was as far as you had ever been taken, ever gone. Yet, you were glad you were here because the pond was beautiful in the moonlight and the waterfall sparkled in icy glory.

What were you running from again? Or were you running to something?

You were stronger, better, now. You may have come into the valley weak and alone and frozen, but you were much better now. You could handle this—you could handle anything. You stared at the waterfall and it shimmered like it was made of sunlight. You slid closer to the pond, entranced by the refracting light. It called to you, made you want to dance in the light and bathe in its radiance.

If you had been comfortable before, strong before—you were now even...more as you skidded to the middle of the pond. You were not just in the radiant light—you were radiant light. You weren’t in moonlight—you practically were burning like the sun. Nothing could stop you as you walked forward to the middle of the ice without sticking or sliding at all. Even you were surprised at how nimble and surefooted you were as you pushed off like an ice skater. As you spun in the middle of the pond, you heard words, but they were just out of your reach. You couldn’t hear them, couldn’t place exactly what was said, but you knew in your bones and blood and sinew it was a blessing, a divine calling of something you couldn’t quite name but needed with everything in you.

You stared up and up and up at the waterfall, the long spikes of icicles overhead like a woman’s wet hair. But, it wasn’t a woman’s was it? No—it was like Hanzo’s long hair and icy white and straight. You stopped to stare at it, drawn closer to it, and then realized it wasn’t like Hanzo’s hair at all. The smell was just wrong and not mossy green at all, but pure white and gold.

“And you are blessed, my daughter,” came a man’s voice. Or, rather, a masculine voice since you spun around and could see no one in the area with you so you couldn’t say it definitely belonged to a man. “I give you my blessing for long life and happiness with your mate.”

A beautiful feminine voice floated past you from just over your shoulder. “I give you my blessings of strength—strength of will and strength of purpose and strength to lead as well as to follow.”

You spun again on the ice in some previously improbable way to find that the crystalline moonlight trapped in the waterfall seemed to be pulsing. Rays of white light shot out as if a spotlight was just beyond the pure ice and pale rainbows flickered everywhere as the light kept pulsing. You were so surrounded by the light, not even your feet cast a shadow on the ice.

You spun again and your feet were sure and steady as if you had been doing this all your life. Strength flowed through you, around you, and the world burst with colors you had never been able to see before and sounds you had never heard and scents that told you every secret. It was so bright you seemed practically suspended in a pool of brilliance rather than on a frozen pond in an icy wood.

The masculine and feminine voice joined in a cry that shook your foundations. It was a blended harmony of a wolf’s bay at the distant moon and a lover’s ardent cry of passion and the sheer wordless sound of pure joy. Like the sudden sounds and scents and colors, it, too, blended into an endless tapestry to tell you things that you had always known, but had somehow forgotten when you were very young.

Their voices joined, “We bless you, child of the mountain.” A musical note sounded that made your bones vibrate and your skin tingle happily. “We bless you, child of the wolves.”

The light abruptly faded, hiding or dimming though you couldn’t figure out how any more than you could figure out how it was so bright to begin with. You took in a shaky breath, your suddenly sore lungs grateful for the icy air. You spun in one more precise turn like an expert ice skater in sheer joy at the immense blessing that still hung vibrating in the air.

You nodded your bows to the woods. Somehow it wasn’t surprising to find your hair was as snow white as Hanzo’s. Or that you were glowing with health.

As you stared at the ice with the silent applause in your ears, you saw something beyond your belief. Your feet.... The ice around your feet was dipping into a shallow bowl more than two and a half feet wide—far more than you could have done yourself. As you stared at the bowl, you saw it was more than that. Over the entire pond was a swirling sun glyph in whirling lines.

Where had you seen that symbol before?

You were pondering that—seeing it made you thoughtful for some reason—when the breeze shifted. The woods still comforted you and the wind still howled and the forest was still alive with life and sound, but there was now a plaintive whine that hadn’t been there before. It took you a moment to realize it was a howl—a piercing howl of an animal in profound pain. 

It was a wolf call that echoed in the crisp, frozen air.

You remembered with sudden clarity—that was the exact shape of the yellow tattoo on Hanzo’s shoulder. It wasn’t just the random curls of frost, either. A few curls you could understand since there were natural variations of color everywhere. No, literally everywhere—you could see even variations of color around the stars and the moon. The wind practically had a color to it as it blew past.

No, this was not just random swirls or patterns. This was deliberate, precise—even beautiful. How had you missed how beautiful it was? You spun on your toes one more time and knelt low in the middle. For one more moment, you felt reverence for whoever or whatever was blessing you and giving you a place in perfect balance with the universe.

Again there was the lonely howl. It echoed around you, bouncing from rock to tree to air. A howl of a wolf throbbed in agony and it made you anxious to help, to join in. You leapt up and to the bank. Throwing back your head, you howled back and your cry bounced in the woods all but shaking the snow from the trees.

You ran back down the trail. It was a bit easier still as you leapt over the hollows of previous footprints. You took a sniff as you passed a stand of trees and there was that comforting mossy green smell. Just a trace, but it was there. You got to a thin tree with rough snow banks around it and bare branches and there was more of that mossy green scent along the trunk. You stopped to lean close to the trunk and it practically was covered with the scent.

Another rough and anxious howl floated in the breeze.

You reluctantly pulled away from the tree. Then you were running again. It was a bit harder now, the narrow path more uneven with the trenches and banks of snow. The last echo of the howl was still here—a vibration that you could almost just barely hear. Then you reached the junction where you had broken off from Hanzo’s trail and there was nothing in the air.

Frustration flicked around your mind as you growled and tried to figure out what to do next. You needed to run, needed to find where that howl came from. You needed to figure out where that animal in pain was. 

You stood there for a moment in indecision and then saw a fire down in the valley. It seemed like the only flicker of light or life in the entire snowy valley. Just a glowing dot in the depths of the valley that spread a warm pinprick of light to the snow and the surrounding trees. Someone was there in the valley—but was that where the howl had come from?

As you were about to howl again, you did hear a faint echoing cry from far below. It was farther away than you had supposed, so that could not have been what you heard. The little dot of light flickered as if some tiny creature had fluttered briefly in front of a candle flame before returning to normal. The echos made the sound in the valley fracture and reverberate and lose whatever message it was trying to send.

If it was just one message.... Just one creature with just one howl. It might be more—it might be several creatures and that was why there seemed to be that strange, fractured quality. That made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

You stared at the mussed snow, the tracks going back and forth. You had not learned enough to determine exact directions or how old they were, only that they were branching off and since you hadn’t passed Hanzo on the way to or fro, you figured that down one of them was Hanzo.

Unless he had simply left.

You shuddered and filled your lungs with the icy air. Throwing your head back until your neck strained, you let out your howl. It was dredged up from someplace that you had never felt and your toes curled and your feet pointed and you seemed to draw strength and beauty from even the moonlit snow beneath your feet. It lasted forever, filling the whole mountainside with sound and rolling down in an avalanche.

There was a breathless moment when you finally let it die and it still echoed in your ears. The energy seeped from your mouth and down to your feet. There was nothing in return, not for minutes, and you couldn’t help but wonder if you were suddenly alone on the mountain. Hearing nothing, seeing nothing, you stomped in the snow simply for the crunch sound.

The nest seemed to be where you needed to go. Hanzo would look for you there and besides, you were really nutty to be tramping out here in little more than a silky, quilted wraparound jacket. Not that you were cold or anything, but it did seem to be a strange thing—at best—to wander a mountainside in. Yes, Hanzo would come back to the nest because wolves always returned to their den.

Nobody worried about wolves returning to their den when they went out.

A soft tremble in the air made you stop. It wasn’t any sort of animal cry you could pick out, nor was it a howl. The little dot was not making any sound. Perhaps it was nothing, but you were sure it was along that new branch of tracks in the snow. You studied the footprints and it didn’t seem to be that difficult a trail....

Your feet were still light on top of the frozen snow, making no mark as you scampered upward. The trail went over the hole. You could see the tips of the sparkling glass if you leaned over the trail enough and you could get a clear taste of the mossy green scent as you lingered around it. You no sooner noticed that than the wind shifted and you caught that same thing on it. That made you want to go further, still following the footprints in the snow.

You kept climbing the winding trail as it wrapped up and back and forth. Mossy green scent seemed everywhere. Then there was that still, small sound that grew from a mere tremble in the air to an echo of sound to an actual cry. It was not graceful or beautiful, but was noisy and disjointed and mournful. The cry was muffled too, as though it was buried under a blanket. Even when the thin thread of a howl came up from the valley—a painful thing as if it was driven out by stepping on a nail—the noisy sound only jerked and huffed.

The trail rose sharply and as you got to the top, you saw Hanzo. He was on top of a flat cliff that he had swept clean at some point with a thick pine branch that was thrown to one side. Over the top of the rock was that same swirling sun symbol painted or etched or something so that he could sit right in the middle. Short, stubby candles were jammed in irregular places around the symbol and you could at last detect the vanishing smell of burned incense.

Hanzo knelt on the symbol, facing the full moon. His huge wolf pelt stretched over his shoulders and arms and all of him sparkled as if he had rolled in the banks and drifts and gotten glittering snow all over him. But instead of that proud stance and the stiff way he had been holding himself, he was bent over his knees with his head to the rock. The thick braid of white twitched on the rock as he....

He was sobbing on the rock. He was bent double with his grief, his pain, and his fingers clawed the face of the cliff desperately. His back and shoulders jerked and his every sound was filled with agony. One hand curled into a fist and pounded the ground, scraping and then turning to direct his scraped knuckles right beside him. His next groan growled out of his barrel chest in a watery way.

You took a few steps down to the cliff. Were you moving closer more in sympathy or in curiosity? You didn’t know. Maybe it was something else.... Instead, you simply approached slowly, amused as the mossy green scent blew from him to you. Of course, in this place where every breath echoed and bounced, he heard you. Growling out a curse, he slowly pulled himself up and both of his hands went into fists as he buried his face into his arm and flicked it away before dropping it to his side.

“Kill me now,” he growled.

“What?!”

He jerked in response and glanced over his shoulder at you with red-rimmed eyes. “It...it is you.” He sighed bitterly and glanced over the valley. “I had...hoped that Jesse had come for me at last.”

You took another nervous step forward. “Yes...I’m here.”

He sighed and shuddered wordlessly. “I thought.... The other howl was Jesse.” His head went to look up at the moon. “He is on the mountain now, and crazed with the moon.” You nodded even though he couldn’t see it. “It is the wolf’s moon, the blessing of Amaterasu and Tsuki-Yomi on all of his children.”

He was silent as you came to kneel down beside him and didn’t even glance at you. “It is the start of the wolf’s year, a new beginning and a new cycle that is ripe with promise and change when nothing else is. It is in the energy of the moon, the knowledge and the instinct of change, that we begin to see all of the possibilities.

“I had begun to see that perhaps I could be forgiven. I had thought that my solitude could be broken. I had thought that I could be redeemed and allowed to have your company. I thought that redemption could be granted to even my dark soul.

“But it is not true, is it? You are not meant to be my mate, are you? I had been so sure of it, that I had read the signs, made my sacrifices and prepared. I had thought that I had made myself...pure, redeemed myself from my sins. I had thought that it was at last my turn. And it was not mine at all.” He let out a watery sigh again. “It was only to show me what I would never have because of my many sins.”

Hanzo stared up at the moon, unmoved by its glory. His eyes were as golden as the wolf’s head and seemed filled with sunlight overcast with clouds of grief. You leaned against him, smiling at the warmth and the mossy green scent surrounded you like a blanket. “I’m here,” you whispered.

“It is...kind of you to be here on the new year evening,” he gritted out without looking at you. “I am not alone for tonight and I am grateful for that.”

You looked around, unconsciously leaning more against him. “What is this place?”

“This is my place to worship, to pray and to purify myself. I first saw you in a vision here and I saw you in the snow, I saw you ring the bell, I saw you...everything. I saw you smiling at me.” His hands dropped and his shoulders drooped. “It was just a...a...a tease, though, wasn’t it? To show me what I was so...defiled that I could never have.

“I cannot force you to stay here. It...would cheapen whatever we might have if I did. It would make whatever we did worthless if I tried to keep you here by force.” He pointed down at the dot in the valley. “I heard your joy tonight—in your answer to...to Jesse. And Jesse...he can take you home, if you wish.”

“W-w-what about you?” You leaned hard against his arm, nudging against him. “What are you going to do?”

He didn’t try to reach for you, didn’t try to move except to straighten his back proudly to stare out over the valley. “I will guard the roads and the travelers as I have been. I am the guardian of the temple and I will.... I will carry on.”

“A-a-a-and what about me? What am I supposed to do?” You shivered a bit and buried your smirk that he jerked stiffly with a look of shock on his face. “I.... What happened to me?”

He glanced anxiously at you. “What is the matter?”

“I...I woke up with...a...a-a-a fever—I think,” you whimpered. “And I came out here. I was...amazing. Alive. I never felt anything like it.” You stared out at the landscape and the stars that each had an aura of light and cobalt sky. “I was able to run and I can.... I could smell anything.... Hear anything. And now I wish that it wouldn’t end.”

He glanced at you, his body shifting uncomfortably again. “It is...a wonderful thing, the first moon. To feel the first burst of energy and the first night when you can first run.” You nodded eagerly. “I remember my first full moon—I must have run for miles.” His gaze dropped with a shy smile. “I could not stop and even when I dropped to the ground I was smiling because of how wonderful it felt.”

“I went to the pond,” you whispered. “And I saw...I saw the waterfall.”

“Did you?”

“It was so bright—like it was filled with sunlight—and I went on the ice. It...it was so beautiful,” you said softly. “I was on the ice and I could do anything and I spun and could hear the...it was like the whole universe blessing me. But...then I saw—.”

“What did you see?” he asked, curiosity in his eyes.

“It was like your...your tattoo,” you answered. “All of the ice on the pond. All around me and carved into the ice.”

He smiled and nodded. “It is a good sign—that Amaterasu and Tsuki-Yomi have blessed you.” He touched his shoulder lightly. “I wear the sign in honor of when I was blessed.”

“Can it not be...a blessing for us?” You looked up anxiously at him. “M-m-maybe you are right and...we were meant to be together?” You took his hand and nuzzled it warmly. “I mean...I feel...so alive and...and I came to you and I-I-I don’t think I’ve ever been so...safe. But...I am scared—it’s all so new and strange and I...don’t know what to do.”

He gave you a longing smile, unresisting to your touch. “I find I cannot force you to stay here. You may leave if you wish, and I will still help your father and your family will have whatever aid I can give so that they will have their farm back.”

It was your turn to nod thoughtfully. You flushed and plucked nervously at the lapel of the wraparound coat. Then you felt a warmth fill you that reminded you of playing by the pond and the memories afterwards. With a devilish smirk of your own, you let it fall open so that he could see your breasts. “Is it me or is it hot out here?”

He grimaced as he glanced away and whispered, “There is no need to...prostitute yourself. I will give you my aid freely.” He gestured at the valley. “I heard you in the cave and I heard you answering his call. So be it, then—I will be thankful for the time I have had with you and the blessing of even a month’s time that I could believe you were to be mine.”

“What?!”

“I will not force you to be here when you obviously want to go.”

“But..we are meant to be, I think,” you whispered, letting the coat fall completely open. Certainly you had had your doubts, but the more time you were here, the more you were sure that he was meant to be with you. A thousand wolf calls were already in your veins and even if he could not hear how much they were calling for him, you could. “And it is good.”

“If we were meant to be, then.... We would be inside and our—.” He flushed a bit—a startling shade on his proud face. “My....”

“Your rut.” You moved closer to him. “And my heat.”

He was going to say something, but you were already sliding the lapels further down until they were around your elbows. You were still very warm, cozy, and the open air just made you feel more...something. His face was red and his eyes were blazing as you kept pushing it down and the dark eyes were riveted to you.

Immediately, he scooped you up in his muscular arms and began going back down the path. “You are too warm—perhaps you have a fever,” he sighed. “I will take you to the den and have you rest.”

You grinned and wrapped your arms around his neck. “I do like the idea of going back to bed—with you.” He only grunted and kept going. “But what about your bow and arrows?”

“I left them on the cliff. I will go fetch them when you are settled,” he muttered. “I can go back for them later.”

“But—!”

“No—even if you are not to be mine, you are my first priority,” he interrupted as he navigated the tricky turn. “You need to be in bed.” He sighed, “Jesse will not want to stop to take care of you if you are ill. He will want to go straight to wherever his den is—likely Dorado or Switzerland.”

“B-b-b-but I don’t want to go!”

He snorted and dodged another outcropping of rock and you were amused that his steps were as light as your own had been. “It will not take long to get to my den. Then, I will bring you something to help your fever.”

You snuggled against him with a smug smile. Slowly, you nuzzled his skin and felt rewarded by the mossy green scent that surrounded you. “I look forward to getting some help...from you.”

His face turned red as he got back to the hole. Slowly sliding around the shards of glass, he helped you into the hole and then climbed in behind you. He fussed over you, helping you go down to the nest and then tucking you in carefully. He gave you a smirk and patted you on the head before going to bring you a cup of hot tea.

As soon as he left—you could hear his footsteps as he crossed the big room—you kicked off the skins and whatever else he had tucked around you. You sprawled out across the bed, wrapping your arms under your breasts and spread your legs in what you hoped was an erotic pose. You twisted and turned a bit, trying to figure out what was the most provocative, and settled on your most comfortable sprawl.

You were grinning wickedly when he came in, cradling the fragile cup in both hands like a baby. He stared at the cup, stepping carefully and with forced grace to avoid spilling the steaming tea. His gaze didn’t come up until he was right next to the bed and then he was forced to look at you.

Immediately his jaw dropped and his hands trembled. “W-w-what—?! Are you—? You must be worse than I thought.” His frown furrowed his face. “Can...could...y-y-y-you—?”

His stuttering gave you confidence to roll languidly to your side. “What are you doing all the way over there?” Propping yourself up on one elbow, you crooked your finger. “So why not come...closer?”

He shuddered visibly, the cup jumping in his fingers. You smiled at him, rolling to your knees and reaching for him. He was stock still except to rock back on his heels in shock as the cup dropped to shatter on the rock floor. Neither of you even heard it as you tugged him to the bed.

Immediately, you began tugging the complicated belts and pouches and armor off of him. He seemed stunned into stillness as you began pushing things to the floor in a hodgepodge pile. But he was absolutely stunning—dusky golden skin without tan-lines or discoloration, sharply defined features like they were carved from the dusty rock, muscles that were in mouthwatering symmetry, long creamy white hair in a braid that was as wide as your wrist down to his waist that matched his crisp beard and mustache—as he stood there wordlessly.

You were boiling inside as you gently took his elbow with one hand and his hard cock in the other. He staggered forward, his knee hitting the first of the evergreen boughs with a rustle. Your smile—even if you didn’t feel as confident as you were acting—was what he stared at as you leaned over to brush your lips on his chest. Your fingers trailed almost tickling trails over his chest and arms and then down in teasing brushes to his hips.

“Precious puppy, you do not know what you are asking for,” he gasped as both hands went to tease the thin line of crisp white hairs from his navel to his cock.

“Oh! Wait! Did you call me...a puppy?!” Your hands went to his shoulders to push him away. “You...you—!”

He reached up and took your hands, leaning close to you. “You are a precious one.” His rough lips finally brushed your forehead. “And when I say ‘puppy’, it is that I do not know a word to express.... You are a young wolf—strong and fierce and curious about everything and eager—and all I want to do is to cuddle you and protect you and I never want to let you go.” Your lips drug over his skin to begin nibbling at his neck. “There is no word to say all that I feel.

“And now you are trying to push me into my rut, little one. Into a blood-deep fire that is threatening to scorch me from the inside out.” His golden eyes glittered at you with an unknown force. “And you, my young wolf, have never seen a rut—never seen me in a rut. You have never seen the violence and...all of the—.”

You stopped him, pressing your lips to his. Instantly, he grabbed you and pulled you against him, chest-to-chest and hip-to-hip. Your hands dug into whatever skin you could reach, trying to touch whatever you could. His cock jerked wildly against your belly as you wriggled eagerly.

That incandescent feeling came back inside you and your brain seemed to glow in the reflected glory of it. Those wolf calls in your brain became more insistent and the light became solar flares leaping out of your brain to go back into your veins and collect in your groin. Your head lolled back and you let out a howling laugh for the sheer joyful glory of it. Hanzo took in a stuttering breath and your fingers dug into his skin as you clawed him closer.

He growled at you, his eyes glittering through thick white lashes. He seemed somehow radiant as the moon as he climbed onto the nest. With a laugh, you snagged his braid and unwrapped the end and loosened the first layers. His fine hair fanned in a crescent over his lower back as he shook his head back and forth a few times like a wolf tossing his ruff. Sprawling on all fours, he butted your shoulder until you rolled to your back.

Animalistic need began flashing through you. It burned in your core, making your hips thrust wildly against his. He snuffled in panting breaths as he began tracing the many messages your cadmium-tipped gold scent was giving him. You couldn’t resist doing the same as you both tumbled over the boughs. The mossy green fragrance was thickest over his groin and along his neck and over his palms, just like your cadmium gold scent. The scents swirled as your sweat smeared over you both to become some kind of mental abstract painting of a bonfire in old woods that were covered in moss.

You had never sensed anything like this before. You never had the ability to sense this, to taste the flavors and smell the scents—not like this. You just had no idea that something as...odd as sweat on a man’s skin could be so powerful to taste—sweet and salty and powerful and throbbing with light. Your teeth nipped his neck and he growled, curling into a playful crouch as you wrestled against him.

The scent of what you could only describe as moonlight added into the mix and his cock seemed to swell as you palmed it. A few milky drops smeared to your fingers and you went to taste it. More of that taste and smell of moonlight filled you, making you curious and eager to have more.

He growled low in his throat and with a mighty pull, drug you underneath him. Immediately, he buried his nose in your slit and began to lap at you with long, sloppy licks. You squealed and buried your fingers into his loosening hair as he kept growling and nosing deeper and deeper.

“You taste like sunlight,” he growled as his fingers slipped into you. “You taste golden and warm.... Heat.”

You clawed him, snapping your teeth and twisting until you had his cock in your mouth and his tongue in your slit again. He tasted of pale white moonlight that turned the night world into shape and shadow. He tasted of cool spring dew and starlight as your lips drew tight and suckled him harder. His tongue dove deeper and you shouted around his cock as his fingers and tongue found those blinding spots where your nerves bunched up in pleasure. That made him growl and thrust down, even as your fingers clawed his hips.

You screamed as his fingers went harder. The musky scent of his groin made you throb and suck harder. Your body twisted in its heated response to him, even as you heard him growl. Your lips were locked so tightly around him that the lump at the base of his cock was a surprise.

As soon as your surprise registered—the moment that your lips brushed the tight swelling—he gasped as his back arched and his head jerked up blindly. It was a wild thrill to feel his body shiver, see him jerk up in shock with his mouth gaping and his eyes glazed in heat.

“Puppy—!” he barked. He let out a profound gasp and you heard a curse cut off with a clop of his teeth. “You...you play with fire.”

You sucked hard again, feeling a taste of nutty saltiness spread across your tongue. Mumbling around the thrusting cock with its curious swelling, you gasped, “I’m not a puppy!” You gave him another hard suck as your lips pulled down to the tip. “I hate that!”

He nodded, his white hair dripping over his shoulders. “You...you are beautiful.” His hips shook. “You are...a-a-a-are—you are....”

His babbling made you smile as he jerked back and scrambled around so that he could look into your eyes. His smile was surrounded by your passionate slick and it clung to his mustache and beard. Timidly—you weren’t sure why you felt suddenly shy—you lapped around his lips. The edge of the crisp hairs tickled your tongue and your nose tingled with the tangy scent. Restlessly, he kissed your cheeks and your thick moisture smeared over both of you.

He lapped your skin, giving you time to touch and taste him to your heart’s content, and finally he burbled, “Y-y-you are...you-you-you a-a-are more than I have ever d-d-deserved.” You sighed impatiently. “D-d-d-do y-y-you want...want to be my ma-am-mate?”

You glanced at him, surprised to see that his glistening white teeth seemed suddenly sharper and somehow longer. His face seemed burning red with desperation, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed with worry on his face. You nodded, feeling his overly hot hands roaming your body like lost children. “I want to be your mate.... I want to be yours.”

His face lit up at your answer. He seemed poleaxed and frozen in shock as you lapped his neck in return. It wasn’t until your hands reached for his cock and began exploring its silken hardness that he finally moved. “You feel it, do you?” You nodded as your fingers touched that strange swelling. “It is...my knot. It...damn it...it will...be—ah, inside you.”

You stared up at him and he nodded uncertainly. “Will...will it—will it fit?” He nodded again. “Will it hurt?”

He gave you a wolffish grin and nodded. His smile was infectious in its lecherous intent. “Not if I treat you right.”

Then he did. His hands were busy, clutching at your breasts and stroking your satiny folds and soft skin. His lips lapped at your neck and touched your lips with reverence before dipping into your core. You gasped and screeched as he kept going, his cock rutting against your hips. Hot liquid seemed to smear all over both of you in a glorious mess.

Kisses rained down on your sensitive eyelids and you felt the first warm, silken kiss of his cock. So carefully, so slowly, he slid into you, back and forth, right up until you felt that swelling nestling right in there at your tight entrance.

“I must not be doing a good job,” he purred in your ear.

“N-n-n-no! You... God, that feels fantastic.” You nipped his ear and felt him shiver inside and outside you. “W-w-w-what....why would you—you say that?”

He pulled back until you were barely able to feel his tip in your folds. Suddenly, he thrust forward and you screeched. “If I was doing it right—you would be screaming.”

It was like some kind of inner switch silently clicked and lit up both of you. You were...something. The animal side of you rose up and you bit his shoulder as he snapped his hips again. His fingers gripped you in vicious intent, but not in a way that hurt. Or maybe it did hurt, but you didn’t notice. Or maybe you were suddenly somehow tougher, stronger, and it simply didn’t warrant notice as his fingers bruised you. But then, he didn’t notice as your nails drug through his skin or as you tugged his wild white hair.

“F-f-fuck! Harder, Hanzo!” You screeched at him, feeling like you were teetering on the rushing edge. “F-fuck me.”

He nipped your lips. “I will satisfy you, minx.” He went faster and faster, pounding with a slopping, wet sound. His fingers dug into your scalp to tilt your face up so that he could press kisses all over your face. “I want you to scream for me.”

Peculiarly, it was him nibbling hard on your earlobe that pushed you off the edge. You did scream, your hips thrusting wildly. You could barely breathe as his fingers began drumming your tight clit as you floated down. It was a good thing that you were in a rocky cave because you were going up in flames and burning down to coals now.

Somehow, though, after that wild climax, your body was just hungrier for more. Your legs locked around him and your hands wrapped around him to dig into the striped skin of his back. “I need more!”

He shook in your arms, growling against you. Suddenly, you felt him thrust harder and you felt a stretch and a pop and that swollen knot slid inside you. The knot—that swollen piece of him that you had been so curious about—was stretching and scraping some unknown places inside that made you scream again.

But it made your body calm in a strange and wild way, too. Like some kind of missing half had suddenly been returned to you. You pulsed around him, fine shivers going from his knot to his tip and that made him howl. There were noisy scrabbles as he kept pressing forward, harder and harder and faster.

You struggled, thrashing uncontrollably as your climax began rushing forward again. Neither of you were able to be gentle and the cave echoed with your joined howls and growls. You had no idea that you had those guttural sounds inside you any more than you knew you were such a violent lover.

But God, Hanzo seemed to love it. Even when your fingers scratched him or you bit him, he only howled and sobbed as he went faster. His eyes screwed shut and he gripped you like a wild lover and he cried out as he came. The cum flowed and filled you and it made you whimper as both of you finally settled on the bed.

He pulled himself to one side, panting and his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he stroked your hair. Slowly, he helped you get settled as well, comfortable while still locked together with him.

You stared at his radiant face. It seemed like a milky moon, replete and full and soothing as he smiled at you. Finally he purred, “I suppose we should rest while we can.”

“Hmm?” You grinned at him. “While we can? Aren’t you satisfied?”

He gave another of those wolffish grins and shrugged. “You, my young mate, have not been through a cycle.” He drew your knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently. “We will be doing this many times during the next days.”

You glanced nervously at the bites and claw marks on his skin. “Will it always be like this?”

He shrugged lazily, yawning. “During this part of our lives—the fullness of the wolf’s moon—it will be the most...ahh...passionate. Other times will be less intense and more human in their duration and in our endurance.”

You smirked and relaxed in the pine bedding. You still were warm, soothed and comfortable, but there still seemed to be the tiniest bit of a tickle inside you. It was like a scratch you couldn’t quite reach that just floated along the edges of your exhausted notice. You barely even noticed as he pulled a skin over you and you fell asleep.

In an hour, you felt the fever heat again. Your eyes felt gritty and dry and you had to swallow several times just to get your voice back enough to croak, “Ha-ha-hanzo....”

Instantly, he jolted awake and sat up. You felt slightly better that he rubbed his eyes and then drug his hand down his stubbly throat. “What is it?” One more glance at your flushed cheeks, and he smirked again and nodded, “Ahhh....”

Your cheeks turned red as you felt a warmth in your core. You were almost going to turn away with an anxious sound until you saw that his cock was ruddy and hard with a tiny drop of pearly liquid on top. He gave you a pleased growl and your eyes jerked to meet his burning gaze.

“Whatever should we do to pass the time?” he asked with a smirk.


	10. Chapter 10

At some point—who knew how long you had spent coupling in the nest—you both staggered out of the hole to just get some fresh air. Hanzo bundled you up in some of his clothes and helped you climb out around the shards of glass and to a relatively wide place on the path so that you could stand steadily.

The footprints of both of you wandering back and forth and climbing through the snow had long since been obliterated in the shifting winds and snowstorms. Even the prints from when he had tromped out to fetch his bow and quiver had vanished. He stopped long enough to shove some of the snow around so that it wasn’t immediately obvious where you came out.

Your cloudy breath puffed out. “It’s like we haven’t ever come out here before. Like we’re on the moon or something.”

He chuckled as you stared at the glistening afternoon landscape. (At least you thought it was afternoon but it was hard to tell in the thick clouds.) “It’s not so cold. Perhaps it will be a good spring.”

You were about to say something catty in return, but an unfamiliar howl echoed off the cliff. Hanzo was immediately alert, drawing his bow and staring around as he shuffled closer to you. Your muscles tensed automatically as well, as you glanced around.

You heard a creak as the bow drew back more. Hanzo’s voice came to you in a soft whiff of sound. “There is only one path to get up to the nest—so we know which way Jesse will come.” You nodded slowly. “But not if there are others.”

There were loud crunches of footsteps and collapsing snow. At last you heard a gruff curse and you smelled a distinct smell of cigar smoke. You weren’t sure what exactly sure about the other wolf—what he would look like or sound like. You were expecting another white furred wolf—another Hanzo—but instead you saw a huge, darkly furred shape. He wore a dark set of bulky armor with a black leather great coat that was covered with snow. Underneath the floppy cowboy hat, you saw a scruffy face with a scruffy brown beard and mustache that about covered his mouth and you barely could see the dark brown eyes. He took one more pull on the cigarillo in his fingers and the tip glowed with orange embers before he puffed out a smoke ring that hovered in the crisp air.

“Howdy, mi amigo,” he snorted, brushing off snow. “Wondering when you’d come on out.” Hanzo said nothing, just stared at him. Jesse took in a deep breath and nodded to himself, smiling. “I’d guess yer the mate.”

In the crisp winter air, you had no problem smelling the burnt amber scent of the other wolf. You weren’t sure before this moment what burning amber smelled like, but that was the scent. The cowboy smirked and pulled his hat off his head and shook it to dust the snow off of it before pulling it back over his ears.

Finally, the cowboy took another smoke laden breath. “So I was looking fer ya—.”

“Why?!” the archer barked.

“Genji,” he replied.

For a moment, Hanzo seemed to think about that. You saw his fists tremble just a little and the arrow slide forward an inch or two. Then he shook his head wildly, making the furry head bristle. “Why do you come here?” The arrow drew back further which made the bow creak again. “I left everything and everyone behind.”

Jesse sighed heavily. “He—.”

“I do not care.”

“B-b-b-but—he’s yer brother,” the cowboy protested. “And....”

“Nothing. There is nothing I need beyond this valley.”

Jesse grinned salaciously. “I’d guess that yer mate’s gonna be takin’ up yer time, at that.” He cocked his head in a perfect imitation of a curious puppy with one ear up and one ear down. “But...yer...kinda remote here, aren’t ya?”

“We are fine here,” Hanzo growled.

“So ya say, but what about pups? Where are they gonna go to school and stuff?” Hanzo growled wordlessly. “I mean—they’re gonna need shots and teachers and stuff. Clothes and toys and bottles—.”

You glanced at the archer, seeing that even his thick muscles were starting to fatigue from holding the bow drawn and aimed true. “Hanzo...please....” He glanced at you again. “What—?”

“Ma’am,” the cowboy nodded, tipping his hat. “I just need ta speak ta my friend.”

“Put your weapons aside,” the archer barked. “Disarm!”

“Aww...Hanzo yer not gonna make me put the Peacekeeper in the snow are ya?” Hanzo growled and after an indecisive moment, the cowboy unloaded his oversized pistol. Taking his cowboy hat in his hand, he dumped the gun and ammunition in it and then set it aside. Hanzo growled again and the big cowboy stepped away from it. “There. Happy?!”

Hanzo stared at him and gave a stiff nod. Slowly, he lowered the bow, sliding the arrow forward until it cradled in his hand. “So now what is the news?”

“Well...first of all, yer home is right unfriendly ta a stranger,” he quipped. “Almost got lost and then I got a bunch o’ scrapes and cuts from the little gifts ya left on the path.”

“So...?”

The cowboy turned brilliant red. “I...uhh.... I heard another wolf on the mountain.” You ducked further behind the archer. “I called out ta ya—over an’ over. Figured ya would answer at some point. Then I heard ‘nother wolf an’ though that you’d might...w-w-w-well....”

“You wanted a mate,” Hanzo growled bitterly.

“I guess. Well...I guess so.” He grinned stiffly and scratched the back of his head. “I guess I can’t say that I thought it was ‘nother male wolf.”

“Hardly,” he bit out.

“Yeah—thought not.” Jesse shrugged. “Yer a hard man ta get ta. An’ now ya got a mate and pups on th’ way.

“I saw th’ temple in th’ valley. Zen said that the temple had a school an’ some buildings. That the people in the village would send their kids here cause it was better than the alternatives.” He smirked. “The village only has one room fer the kids and the Omnics offered them a building with several rooms an’ stuff.

“Zen even said that it wouldn’t be nothin’ ta put on th’ lights again. The upper ups even said that they could do some of th’ work as a humanitarian effort. We could get ya some help, get th’ temple built up again. Maybe even put in some security an’ some stuff—.”

Hanzo snorted. “Why would we want all that? We are doing well here.”

“Not if ya want healthy pups,” Jesse growled, his brow finally furrowed. “Ya ain’t comin’ to th’ village often, are ya?”

Hanzo’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “I have no need to leave my den.”

“Well, ya might be lucky in that. Th’ village is havin’ some issues ‘cause of th’ hard winter. Had a gang tear through last month an’ they don’ got nothin’. No power. No water. Nothin’.”

“What happened?”

“The gang was...well.... They were some—.”

“Some what? Spit it out, cowboy.”

“They called themselves th’ Wyld Dragons. Used ta be.... Well, they used ta be Shimada thugs.” Hanzo stiffened and went pale. “They were tryin’ ta get a foothold in the village—grab some territory. Th’ whole works and th’ village was gettin’ squeezed for protection money an’ they didn’t have nothin’. When they got word ta us, we came in ta help and they destroyed just about everything on th’ way out.

“Do ya get it, ya stubborn wolf? The kids are starvin’, freezin’ and don’t have a pot ta piss in. We got called back here ‘cause they’ve got some awful stuff goin’ on—kids are sick, ain’t gonna get ta school ‘cause it’s half burned down, and now there’s what might end up bein’ cholera ‘cause th’ sewers are a wreck, too.”

You let out a whimper and touched Hanzo’s shoulder. “Cholera? That’s...awful.”

Jesse nodded eagerly. “Yeah...and as soon as it gets warm it’s gonna go everywhere.”

“And what do you want?” Hanzo snorted, his hand dropping to reach for yours. “What do you think that I could even do?”

“Go down to the temple fer starters,” Jesse puffed, his face surrounded with the ice cloud of breath. “Help us get set up an’ manage that. We got Zen and he can bring up some Omnics ta help. We can get help an’ we can get ya materials an’ stuff, but what we don’t got is the trust of the locals.

“Yer a local. Everyone we can get ta talk says that there’s someone who protects the valley an’ helps the passerbyes. We could spend a zillion dollars buildin’ up the village again and a new school and all, but they’d still call us ‘guy-gees’.”

Hanzo snorted and rolled his eyes. “The word is ‘gaijin’.”

“Yeah—and they don’t got no trust for ‘guy-gees’.” Jesse stomped angrily. “So we gotta have someone that they can trust and can talk ta. We put ya in charge of th’ whole thing, rebuild th’ temple and th’ school. Then they can rebuild their lives.” The dark haired wolf shrugged with a smug smile. “All we gotta do is ta find someone who they are willin’ ta trust—like you.”

Hanzo shook his head. “What makes you think that I want anyone any closer?” Jesse opened his mouth and Hanzo interrupted bitterly, “I came here to get away from everyone, not to have people crawling all over the mountain. I will repeat it for you—I do not want others around here.”

“Yer gonna have a whole lot more trouble if’n we try ta get them all ta th’ temple and set up without ya.” Jesse’s teeth shown white against his darkly tanned skin and darker whiskers. “Then they’ll be runnin’ all over th’ place with no one in charge an’ no one sayin’ no.

“If yer there, then ya can make sure that th’ things are done right. If ya don’t want people comin’ back here—an’ I can tell ya don’t—then ya step up, lead ‘em, and ya got yer privacy.” Jesse’s eyes looked at you. “Yer mate is gonna need some space without folks stomping around, so seems ta me yer gonna need ta work with us.”

Hanzo cocked his head thoughtfully. “Perhaps. I will consider it.”

“Hanzo, we need ya back.” His eyes looked wide and he actually looked confused. “I don’t even know why ya left. Why ya turned yer back on all of us. But whatever it is—we can...we can fix it, right? Can’t we? I mean...just can’t we fix it or somethin’?” A frigid silence passed. “Why did ya leave, Han?”

“I left that life behind, McCree-san,” he snapped. “I did it for my own reasons and I do not regret leaving.”

“Well...I still don’t understand,” the cowboy puffed.

There was a long silence that the two wolves stared at each other. There was something unspoken hanging in the air like a ghost ship. Jesse let out a soft snarl as Hanzo stood firm between you and him with a scowl. Hanzo said nothing, just stared down his nose at him.

“How long before this...invasion takes place?” Hanzo snarled bitterly.

Jesse nodded slowly. “Well...we got some temporary shelters goin’ right now. It will take some time ta build up th’ temple grounds, ya know? We could make sure that the trail is protected. Maybe even do some building up of the paths an’ some gates an’ stuff ta keep your den safe.” He gestured. “And then you’d have doctors an’ teachers an’ all that close enough so that yer pups can get a good head start, right?”

“I will...consider your proposition,” Hanzo huffed. “In the meantime, I need to get my mate inside.”

“Yeah—that rut was somethin’ huh?”

“Do not be crude,” Hanzo snapped. “I will come to your camp in a few days with my answer.”

“All righty, then,” Jesse sighed. “I’ll head on back ta camp. In...lessee, five days or so, I gotta go back ta th’ village and tell th’ commanders what’s up.”

“I suppose you cannot tell them that the temple has been destroyed?”

“Naw.... Zenyatta’s already been out and done a scan of all th’ buildings,” he chuckled. “Already know which buildings are worth savin’ an’ which ta destroy.”

“I will thank you to go back the way you came and wait for my answer,” Hanzo snorted.

Jesse glanced down the path as Hanzo pointed. “Well...maybe not ‘xactly that way.” He held up his hand and you gasped to see that it was a thick, mechanical appendage. There were massive dents and cuts all up and down the metal and something that looked like a long arrowhead stuck out of one of the creases in his robotics. “I almost didn’t make it up.”

“Good. Then you know how much I want company.” The archer wrapped a warm, muscular arm around you. The mossy green smell was a comfort against the strange smell of the other wolf. “I want no one up here. If I did, I would not have left in the first place.”

“Alright.... Sure. Sure.” Jesse sighed with a wide-eyed look. “Just...don’t forget us, huh?”

“How could I forget you if you do not leave?” Hanzo snarled.

Finally, that got Jesse mad and he scowled before spitting out, “Yer still th’ stuck up yakuza prince, huh? Don’t need nothin’ from no one an’ all that?!” Hanzo snarled at that. “We’re tryin’ ta help you, ya stubborn whelp! We missed ya, but I said that ya needed some time ta figure out stuff. I’m th’ one who told th’ vampire that ya needed time. That yer a good guy who got a bum rap and had no way ta get straight.

“An’ when ya disappeared here, I told the commanders that yer doin’ good here, that yer gonna be doin’ fine. I put my ass on th’ line, wolf—tellin’ them that ya would talk ta me. That I’d take yer updates an’ pass them on. An’ when ya wouldn’t come ta talk, I’d make it up so that yer able ta have time here, alone.”

Hanzo looked shocked for only a half moment before he schooled his features into a mask. “So, you have been spying on me.”

“What?! Fuck no! I ain’t been that eager ta see yer ass. I would howl out there ever’ so often and sometimes ya wouldn’t show up and what’d I do? I stayed put and stayed down there ‘cause I knew ya needed time.” Jesse’s dark gaze sized you up. “I didn’t even stop ya from havin’ visitors ‘cause I thought it was important for ya ta have whatever kind o’ normal life ya could.

“An’...an’ Genji. Genji ain’t been the same since ya left, ya know. Genji was barely there fer weeks after ya left. Yer brother got tore up that last battle—not that you’d know, ‘cause you vanished. He got so tore up Mercy had ta—fuck man!” Jesse snarled, turning away. He leaned over and plucked up the cowboy hat. “I ain’t gonna tell ya ‘cause you don’t deserve ta have a man like him as a brother when ya don’t even ask ‘bout him or why he’s missing’.”

Hanzo shouldered his bow and fiddled with the arrow. “I have not seen him, as you should already know.” He gave a shrug. “I am not my brother’s keeper.”

“Yeah...I know, wolf.” Jesse’s shoulders sagged. “I know ya ain’t seen nobody. Ya don’t go ta th’ village ta do more than occasionally drop a passel of pelts down for some money. Ya don’t talk ta anyone ‘crept the occasional fool who goes to th’ temple ta ask fer ya help. An’ then it’s a shot in th’ dark whether ya actually do somethin’ or not.” He sighed, his breath puffing out in a steamy cloud. “I guess yer still a prince that don’t need nobody or nothin’. So I guess ya don’t want none of our help makin’ sure yer den’s safe, huh?”

Jesse turned to look at you. “Yer a new wolf, ain’t ya? If ya get tired of holing up like a beaten badger, then I’ll take ya home. Or wherever ya wanna go.” His eyes shot a fierce, chocolate glance at Hanzo before going back to you. “I ain’t a saint, but I don’t want anyone—‘specially not a new wolf—ta get a broken heart tryin’ ta make this one sociable.”

No one had anything to say as the cowboy slunk back down the mountain.


	11. Chapter 11

Hanzo stared as the large man began ambling back down the path. Unsettled, he walked you back to the den. Without another word, he led you to the kitchen and began heating water. He drug out cups and his tin of tea. When he finally set down the tea, he only stared at his the entire time you drank yours.

“I suppose that you have questions, koibito,” Hanzo offered first.

You paused, trying to sort out your questions and thoughts. “I...don’t know what to ask first.”

He nodded, staring at his cup of cold tea. “I guess that is a...natural reaction to what you heard.” Finally he took a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste. “I am...what he said. I was a yakuza, the oyabun of the clan and when I joined Overwatch—.”

“Overwatch?!” you gasped.

“I left the yakuza behind—all of it,” he whispered. “I could not take it anymore because...of many reasons. But the elders sent me out to kill Genji—my brother—and I cannot even tell you that I did not know what I was doing. My father had always favored my brother over me—even though I was the Shimada Scion, the hereditary heir—and I was entirely in my own control. I did kill him, and when I saw what I had done, I was so sickened, that I left that very night and abandoned the clan and every bit of my family.

“Then, ten years later, as I was at my family shrine to honor him, Genji reappeared to me. He was...different. Overwatch had helped him, offered him a second chance and a new Omnic body. He was entirely rebuilt better, faster—entirely my superior in every way. And when he offered to lead me to Overwatch, I followed him there, to try to begin to be better.”

You frowned and whispered, “And you got hurt.”

“Over and over and there was no end to the blood and filth and I could find no end to it.” He shrugged emotionlessly. “I left and came here. I found renewal and peace and told myself that I needed nothing more.”

He shoved the tea aside and reached out to you. His hands stopped abruptly, cupped over your hands as if you had a force field over them. “I left it all behind.” His voice took a shivery timber. “I truly did leave it. I did not want to do it any more because it was destroying me.”

“And Jesse?”

“I met with him occasionally,” he whispered hoarsely. “I did not want to lose...one of my few friends.” He glanced aside, his cheeks coloring. “I was—.”

“You were lonely,” you whispered as he pulled back from you. He nodded with another shrug. “And it’s...it’s okay.”

“He was one of the few who did not hold my past against me,” Hanzo sighed. “I suppose it was because of his own history, but it seemed like he was at least willing to...tolerate me. Everyone else seemed to flock to my brother—even if his hands were as bloody as mine—and.... As he said, I was known as ‘Prince Shimada’ or ‘the yakuza prince’ and nothing I did was good enough to earn their regard.”

You thought about that. “They were.... How could they do that?”

He gave you a sad smile. “I am...not accustomed to making friends. It is not a luxury that a yakuza prince could afford be-be-because you never knew who you were going to be against the next night. And at Overwatch, no one could forgive me for what I had done, no matter what I did.”

Tears filled your eyes as he stared down at your hands. Finally, slowly, he lowered his hands to cover yours. His breath hissed out as he finally looked up at you. “I would...do anything to make you—no.... I cannot make you. I would do anything for you to not.... For you to see me as I am now, and not for what I was.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” you whimpered softly.

“No!” he bellowed. You jumped and that made him flush and look down, lowering his voice. “I would want you here with me. I want you to...to choose to be here with me as my mate.” He shrugged. “And yet, I cannot force you to stay. If you choose, I will escort you to Jesse and we will go to whichever commanders are nearby so that you can get sanctuary.”

“And...?”

“And I will go to your family’s farm and see what the debts and financial situation is. I have spent little of my savings here.” He grimaced with a shy shrug. “I suppose that it has helped that there is nothing nearby—I have stopped drinking and my savings have not been depleted.”

“If there...is nothing?”

His eyes were so solemn and suddenly fathomless, as if you were looking into a dark pit of sin in a soul. “I will make sure that your family has a place to go. Even if I have to—well, perhaps I should leave it, that I will make sure that they are taken care of.”

“And?” He simply stared at you as you asked. “What about me? Us? Pups?”

He sighed again. “Overwatch can help you more simply because they have deeper pockets. It would not be hard to claim that they are economic refugees. If I...go with you, I could help you navigate their bureaucracy. Or, Jesse. He is not what I would call highly intelligent, but he has what he calls ‘horse sense’ and is as stubborn as an ox.”

He gently patted your hands. “I want you to know that...you have options. It is too much to hope that you might want to stay here, perhaps. So, as your...friend—.”

“My...friend? Is that all?” You cocked your head. “I thought...we were mated or something?”

His face lit up hopefully. “Do you...truly?” At your nod, you saw him smile before he turned serious. “Then, as your mate, I want you to know you have the option to leave the valley. I will do everything I can to help you, but I am too...too used to having my own way. I am too used to ordering, rather than...asking.”

You turned red, thinking about the voices at the pond. “I have strength.” You took a deep breath. “I...It was what I heard...at the pond. Strength to lead as well as to follow. That’s what she said.”

He sat back and looked at you thoughtfully. “Then, where do you lead?”

You turned bright red as he looked at you. “I want...I want to stay here. The family farm was a few days away by foot, so it...it’s close.” He was riveted to you, which made your blood run hot. He was totally dedicated to listening to what you wanted. “I want....” 

Finally, he spoke softly. “I am...considering his offer to have the village come to the temple.”

You blinked nervously. “It.... Is it—?”

“It is a compelling thing, to be a hero.” His eyes narrowed as he smirked. “It is a heady feeling to have people—even strangers—look up to you and to respect you and to think that you are good. It is a high unlike anything else to lead and have people follow.

“But I do not know if I am ready, yet, to assume such responsibility. I have only now found a mate and it has been only been one cycle. I know that we are still new. Now there are pups. We will be parents and they will be all over the mountain.” You smirked with a fiery flush all over your face. “They will learn to be archers as my father was. They will be able to hunt and to live off the land. They will be fine leaders, honorable.” He shook his head and his long braid went weaving behind him. “This is enough. This should be enough for any man—to know that his children will follow in his footsteps. I should not want more, should I?”

“I-I-I would feel better if we had doctors closer,” you whispered.

“There is that,” he nodded slowly. “And children for them to play with.”

“And teachers.”

“Ahh...the joys of school,” he snorted. “I could teach them plenty here. Do we really need all of the noise and distraction and...people?” He shook his head. “I learned far more from my father and from my tutors than I ever did in school.”

“Well...I kind of liked school.” You muttered in a sour, overloud way so that you were sure he heard the pique in your voice. “I had friends...and...and....”

“I have had friends,” he smirked. “I had friends of a sort as a yakuza, and nothing stopped me from doing as I pleased.”

“B-b-but what about clubs and stuff? Weren’t you in like the debate club or archery club or something?”

“Baseball.”

“What?!”

“I was on the baseball team.” He chuckled. “I was a third baseman.” Your eyes lit up as you started to ask a question, but he interrupted again. “Second string. I played only two games a season.”

“What?!”

“Second string. I was very, very...bad.” You let out a surprised gasp. “I thought that the team captain was incapable of leading ants to a picnic and he thought I was arrogant and a spoiled.... Well, he called me ‘the spoiled prince’.” You laughed at that. “I was not what you could call a ‘team player’. So, we argued almost as bad as....” His gaze dropped thoughtfully. “Almost as bad as my brother and I.”

“So you are the volunteer baseball coach. Got it.” You stuck out your tongue impudently. “Or would you rather—?”

“Archery,” he snorted. “I will...consider teaching archery.”

“Oh you will?” You nodded with an arched eyebrow. “Still thinking about it?”

He shrugged innocently. “I think that I will need to go get some wood from the forest.” His grin turned smug. “I will have to start carving their bows.”

“Bows? What if we have girls?”

“Girls?”

“Yes. As in the opposite of boys.”

“So? Yuki Hayashi. Miki Kanie. Saori Nagamine.” He grinned smugly at your blank stare as he rattled off names. “I actually have—had one of Sayoko Kitabatake’s bows. She was at an exhibition my father attended and her 2004 Olympic winning bow was auctioned off at a charity event. My father won it and when I finally did my first assassination by myself, he gave it to me instead of money. 

“Not to mention that there have been more recent archers including Sayuri Himiko who went to the 2068 Olympics. She went to my university for two years and I was finally on the archery team when she graduated.” He shrugged. “I would be honored to have my daughters follow in their footsteps. In order to do that, they will need to have their own bows and arrows. Their own quivers.”

“Of course,” you agreed smugly as he seemed to consider more seriously about having children and a school nearby. “I know that you will make them fine archers.”

He paused, thinking heavily. “They will need to have adequate room. There is, of course, the basics of archery itself, but there is also a great deal of history and tradition in the art of kyudo. Not to mention they will need to train for strength and endurance. Then being able to read a situation, evaluate a crowd and see opportunities where other will not.”

“It sounds like they need teachers for the basics—reading, writing and arithmetic—and then some kind of physical education.” You shrugged innocently with your smirking eyes wide. “Of course, having clubs or groups like sports teams or glee club would help with the rest.” He frowned as you shrugged again. “That sounds like they need a school.”

He nodded, “It does sound like that.”

You waited a bit and then let out a puffy sigh. “It’s a shame that there isn’t one close....” Nodding at him, you fingered the lip your cup. “But I am sure we can teach them.”

He snorted playfully at your light tone. Taking an arrow out, he studied it carefully. “I wonder...if perhaps...? A school would help immensely—especially for—.” After a few moments, he smirked and looked up to stare at you. “You planned that, minx.” You gave him a slow smile. “You made me say that.”

“Say what?”

His eyes narrowed in humor. “You know what you did—puppy.” He shrugged at your indignant gasp. “Fine, then.... I will go see what they have to say. I still do not think that I want just anyone coming up the mountain.” He dropped a lazy kiss to your knuckles. “I like my privacy up here. With you.”

You nodded thoughtfully. “This is an abandoned mine, right? So have lots of security on the paths in the middle as a health concern.” You grinned at him. “I’m sure that Jesse’s commanders will agree to that.”

You grinned as he set the arrow on the table carefully. He replied, “I will go to him and see what they will offer.” Taking your hands in his, he added, “It will mean a great deal of changes.

“Okami and what you call werewolves are the least of it. There are all kinds of creatures that roam those halls and haunt those places.” He stared at your joined hands. “The world is wide and there are many beasts that are strange and...dangerous.”

You nodded and sighed. Curiosity burning in your veins, you tilted your head. “I have faith in you protecting us.” A warm tingle settled in your belly and one of your hands went to rest on your waist. “All of us.”

“It would be my honor,” he smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

You followed Hanzo down the hill to the temple. He had insisted that you dress well, even though you had been warm wearing considerably less. The traps were carefully disabled and remarkable in their ingenuity. Especially since they were triggered with branches or string or something that were easily hidden under the snow.

The valley was still empty and desolate and the large campfire that Jesse lit was smoking with dull coals. You sniffed and there were still traces of that burnt amber scent floating in thin streams as the breezes went around. There were other scents that you could pick out, but not identify.

Hanzo tilted his head back and took deep breaths as well. Finally, he looked over at the buildings and pointed. “There is where we need to go.” You nodded. “I suggest we go there.”

“Okay,” you muttered, looking around. You weren’t convinced that there was anyone else in the valley at all. But, he had never led you wrong. “Let’s go up slowly.”

“Very wise, my mate,” he nodded.

You were just about at the front door when it slid open and a rail thin Omnic all but floated out. You stared at the loose pantaloons and the scarlet...belt around his metallic hips. The Omnic cocked his head with a creaking pop and then went back to normal. “Greetings.” You blinked and stepped closer to the okami. He turned towards you. “You are the one known as Shimada Hanzo and....” There was a small whirring and he seemed to shiver ever so slightly before he rattled out, “I do not believe I have your identity in my database.”

Without another pause, the Omnic bowed stiffly and continued, “I am Zenyatta. I will be glad to...introduce you.”

Hanzo nodded slowly. “We are looking for McCree-san or his commander.”

Zenyatta—apparently the ‘Zen’ that Jesse had probably been talking about—nodded and bowed again. “Of course. The one known as Jesse McCree has already informed us that you would be coming.”

The Omnic led you both into the temple’s main building. Jesse sat huddled over a huge mug of steaming coffee as men in uniforms stood over a temporary table with papers and plans. One of them glanced up and did a double take to see Hanzo walking towards them.

Zenyatta bowed shallowly. “The one known as Shimada Hanzo and...the one who travels with him.”

Hanzo squeezed your hand briefly and strolled up to the table as if he was the prince of the universe. Glancing at the plans, he seemed to take in all the information at once. “McCree-san has informed me of the...efforts in the village.”

The commander—a tall man with closely cropped brown hair and a suspiciously pale skin—nodded and said, “Shimada—at last you deign to appear.” You leaned closer and there was a sickly sweet, coppery smell coming off of him like the smell of rotten cinnamon. The commander blinked at you before tugging on his collar of his uniform. You got a glimpse of worn, red puncture wounds on his neck. “To what do we owe this honor?”

Hanzo sighed and glanced at you. “I wish to speak to...the real commander.”

The uniformed man jerked weirdly and his eyes glazed over. His head jerked one more time and the sickly sweet smell intensified. You would have sworn that those two puncture wounds gave off some kind of red aura. You glanced at him and he followed your gaze at those little holes and he gave you a small nod, confirming your suspicions.

He even whispered, “Vampire thrall,” in your ear before standing again.

Even the uniformed man’s voice was different, with a twang you couldn’t quite place as if it was a poor imitation to what was really being said. “Well, I guess you aren’t dead, Shimada.”

“Morrison-san,” Hanzo nodded. “I understand that—.”

“You are a sight for sore eyes. We need to get these villagers moving and they are stubborn as Kansas mules.” Hanzo nodded regally. “I’d guess that Jesse finally got to you.”

“Indeed,” Hanzo nodded. “I understand that I can help you.”

“If you can help us make the villagers understand that we are trying to help, it would make this go faster. They obviously do not trust outsiders.” He smiled stiffly, like there were strings pulling the lips, rather than muscles. “And having someone who we know would be a plus.”

“What do you need?” Hanzo’s eyes narrowed slightly and he stroked his beard and ignored the sharp, impatient sound from Jesse. “I have been living in the mountains, and I do not see how I could—.”

“Cut the crap, Shimada. McCree has told you the situation. The Wyld Dragons tore through the village just south of here like a Kansas City tornado. They are desperate.”

“Desperate enough to send their children over two hours away through a valley to...do what?”

The commander stiffened. Another man—a living man—might have snorted or snarled, but the puppet-master’s strings were not that delicate. “Yes—they are desperate. Desperate for a school, for safety and for a place to live that isn’t a canvas tent. We have given them a vote and over sixty-five percent voted that they’d move to the valley if there was a school, shelter and a place to work.”

“How many is that total?”

“24 adult females, 32 adult males and then 50 children under the age of majority.”

“Unacceptable,” Hanzo snorted. “This valley has open mine shafts that are filled with heavy metals. This is not a hospitable haven for 106 people.”

He nodded stiffly. “It’s not ideal, but this is the best we could come up with. You are the best shot at leading these people through the winter. The alternative is have them starve or freeze or some kind of plague. What would you suggest?!”

Hanzo sighed and leaned over the table to study the drawings and maps and estimates. He paused a moment and then waved to you. Pointing to the map, he leaned over and said, “This is the village and here is the valley. And where is your farm?” You pointed and he snatched up a pen to draw a small dot. “So, there is actually very little chance of them getting here successfully, given the logistics of getting into the valley through the crevice.”

The white furred wolf studied the maps again. He pointed at another place that was just outside the valley. “This is where the original mine came out and they used this highway here as a shipping route.”

You cocked your head, sensing vaguely where this was going. “So there is actually a good area there for shelter as well.” The commander thrall stared at you. “The mine...junctions are actually...well appointed.”

Hanzo nodded with a grin and you were glad that he didn’t seem upset that you had spoken up. “There should be quarters, break rooms, and so on—similar to our area—at other junctions. So, it is a matter of determining if that is a viable place with resources.”

The commander stared blankly at the map and began tapping on a pad. You were nodding slightly at your...well, your mate, when you heard Jesse come up. He leaned over the pad and stared at it, as drawings and satellite images came up, showing a series of old tract housing and then highlights of pipes and what you took to be electrical lines. “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle—there is a junction about an ninety minutes closer. Does that have a live wire—?”

Zenyatta spoke next, “According to this one’s databanks, there is an 82.156% chance that the underground cables were spared when this opening to the mine was closed during the Omnic Crisis.”

“So we’ll have power—what about houses?”

“According to this one’s databanks, there were four houses within the one mile search parameter of this proposed location. One is privately owned but is available for purchase. Two were abandoned and the last one is in foreclosure.”

“Why?”

“This one must search records to be accurate.” There was a brief pause as the Omnic stood still and then he nodded. “The foreclosure is due to the last descendent of the original foreman expiring 56 days ago.”

Hanzo nodded and crossed his arms. “Then there is at least one house that was habitable and up to code within a reasonable amount of time. In addition, the branches of the mine still have power—.”

Zenyatta piped up helpfully, “This one was in error. If there are branches that have power, then there is a 96.452% chance that the electrical cables are in working order.”

“Substation’s right there down the road, too,” Jesse offered as he lit yet another a cigarillo idly.

The commander nodded as he looked blankly at the map. “Then we will go to the main entrance.” His head jerked up to stare at Hanzo. “How did you know?”

“I have become very familiar with the mines and the mountain,” he shrugged. “If there is nothing else?”

The commander was hitting keys and sending orders already. Chimes began sounding and replies began to pile up on the screen. Zenyatta was apparently already aware of the orders and information and began nodding. Hanzo stared at the map idly, waiting with a calm that seemed born of meditation and hours of thought. “The main junction should be more built up than the branches, as well, with better facilities.”

The commander nodded as he pulled up a map. “I see that.”

Hanzo snorted, waving his hand at the smoke ring that Jesse puffed out. “It is settled then. You have your rescue. Your shelter.” He tapped the pad and studied the maps and shifting scenes of information. “The main junction is about two hundred feet inside the mountain. The structural diagrams show eight showers, a locker room, a large kitchen, and a central place for gathering as well as four offices. That will provide facilities for a larger group if you include the nearby houses.”

“Agreed.”

“So, the group will have steady shelter with some of the facilities already in place.” Hanzo nodded slowly. “There is power and water and space. No luxuries, but enough to keep families together and a base where you can do your operations.”

Hanzo sighed. “I will return to my own lodgings, now. Soon I have business here—,” he pointed at the dot for your farm, “—and I will return in two weeks so that I can assist with the transition.” He pointed towards the Omnic, who only clicked and tilted its head at him. “My terms are that I will spend six days working with your team at the main junction and then I will be return to spend four days to ensure she has what she needs. I will need the use of a small vehicle to help me travel between the main junction of the mine, the village and the valley. I will need continuous teams of Omnics and people who are properly equipped to handle the possibilities of rock slides and collapsed tunnels and exposed veins of heavy metals. I will require my original salary and my mate will need to be made beneficiary to my policies and names on any accounts.” His voice went deeper and firmer. “These are not negotiable.”

“Agreed.” The man nodded again stiffly and jerked. “Now, there is one more thing to discuss.” He nodded shortly at you. “This may be highly personal—.”

You gasped slightly, but you were ready to leave when Hanzo grabbed your hand fiercely. “She is my mate,” Hanzo snarled. “There is nothing you can tell me that she cannot hear.”

The commander nodded slowly. “It is...Genji—.”

“I have not seen him,” Hanzo interrupted with a snort.

“He has been missing for some time—after a mission to China,” the commander muttered. “His last message was...somewhat cryptic.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow impatiently and Zenyatta spoke up, “The last mission message from the one known as Shimada Genji is as follows:

“When you get this, you will declare me missing. And I have been missing for some time. Hanzo has found his peace in the mountains and has found his way. It is time for me to follow his example and to go my own way. I will miss my friends and my master, Zenyatta—but it is time for me to find who I am and what I must do. If you find him, tell him that he is my brother and I wish him all the best. I hope he finds what he is looking for in the mountains and I hope that he finds the hope and the love and the happiness he has always wished for me.

“When you get this, I will have already left. I’m leaving the communicator behind for you to find so that you will have something to tell Hanzo if he comes looking for me. If he doesn’t, then perhaps he has found what he needs already. I am hoping to find...something. I don’t know what I’m looking for, so I can only hope I’ll know it when I see it. So, best of luck to everyone back at base. Tell Mercy doesn’t need to worry—I will be fine. Tell Zenyatta Sensei that I will remember what he taught me. Tell everyone I’ll miss them—especially the girls.

“All I can think about is this dream I keep having—that a great white tiger kami is leading me to the mountain, telling me that I need to start my journey to find my...something. I don’t ever know what he was supposed to be showing me, but it is important. Zenyatta says that it is because I am blessed—that Omnics don’t dream. Mercy says it is old data lingering in my Omnic databanks and that is why it is a recurring event. I am not sure which it is—any more than I am sure what I am. So all I can do is try.

“So, when you get this, I will be missing. Don’t try to find me. I don’t want to be found, not until I finally figure out what this is. The wolves led Hanzo, now the tigers must lead me.”

Hanzo said nothing as the recording ended. You couldn’t tell if he was sad or upset or anything. He merely stood there, waiting. At last he shrugged, and took your arm to lead you out. The air was crisp and clear as he kept walking, leading you away from the temple.

There seemed to be little to be said until he led you up to the flat plateau where the swirling sun glyph was painted. Kneeling down in the middle with him, you smiled at him as he bowed his head. There was a long moment of thoughtful meditation as you both remained in silence. It was as he said—you did things as you needed to, and when you were done, you were done. So, when you were done paying the thoughtful reverence that the occasion seemed to warrant, you were able to stand and dust off your knees.

Hanzo bowed again and rose as well. Immediately, he was next to you, taking your hands in his and kissed your knuckles. “You are...doing well?” You nodded. “Thank you for this. I have offered prayers and asked for guidance. I am finally at peace. He—Genji—will, I believe find his own peace, his own blessings. I have asked Amaterasu and Tsuki Yomi to watch over him.”

“He will be fine,” Hanzo said at last.

“Really? You’re sure that your brother is okay?” You shuddered slightly, even though you weren’t sure why. “I mean...what is all that about following a tiger?”

He nodded with a smirk. “If my brother is following his kami, then it is his destiny, his karma, and he must follow where it leads.” He began leading you up the path to the nest. “I was led here, blessed here. I have you here.

“Now it is his turn. He has to do what it is his destiny to do.” He gave you a roguish smile. “And following my heart has given me more than I ever expected—you.”


End file.
